Shades Of Grey
by AlyssaBlack96
Summary: When Cara and Rose White first arrive at Hogwarts, they are hiding a dark secret that could possible change their entire world. They are frightened and alone, but little do they know that they won't be for long with the Marauders around. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: HELLO! My name is AlyssaBlack96 (well, I lie, that's a pseudonym but don't judge) and I'm writing my first fic. I don't post author's notes – except for this one – and am going to post it all at once as it's finished. Please enjoy and read/review.**

**Chapter One – Rose**

**Platform 9 ¾ **

Standing on platform 9 ¾, I stared across at my twin (non-identical) sister through the bustle and rush of Hogwarts students, parents and teachers saying their farewells and greetings and suddenly wished we were back home.

Of course, we couldn't go back home. Ever.

But I still wished wholeheartedly that we could. Standing by Cara's side, the whole world in motion around us, I missed our little home in rural England that much more. When my sister realised this (hey, we're twins, we know everything about each other – and I mean everything), she wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me forwards. Cara was stronger than she looked, as a beautiful (of course) blonde babe with gorgeous grey-blue eyes. I was her taller, brunette sister with curls and oddly mismatched eyes. One was green and one was brown.

I smiled at her as we reached the scarlet train, and took back my beautiful black cat's cage from her. She held our owl, Soren, and I held our cat, Lucy. Lucy Fur. I came up with the name. Together, we began to heave our trunks up the steps when a hand caught my arm and lifted it for me. I turned to see smiling grey eyes meet mine.

"Here, let me get that for you," the boy said, taking it out of my hands and – juggling it with his own – entered the train. He then put it down and reached a hand down for Cara's. "I'm Sirius, by the way, Sirius Black."

Sirius was tall and well-built, with soft black hair that hung down to his chin and made me want to stroke it. His features were refined in that way that made me feel like I was talking to a pure-blood, and his eyes caught me again. They were like miniature storms, the grey mixed in with black and blue and I felt like all the breath was shoved out of me.

Thank God Cara was there to save me from my own stupidity.

"I'm Cara White, and this is my sister, Rose," she said, reaching out to shake his hand. "Thank you for the help."

He grinned. "It is always my pleasure to help two damsels in distress."

And then my mouth worked without consulting my brain. "We're no damsels," it said, cheekily, and then my brain caught up and I blushed. He burst out laughing. "I didn't mean it like that," I muttered.

"So she does speak then? Rose White, I stand corrected, but you sure do blush like a damsel."

Before I could retaliate, another voice cut in. "Padfoot, have you found a girl to flirt with already?"

"Moony!" Sirius roared happily, jumping down from the train to embrace the newcomer, a tall boy with sandy-coloured hair and light brown eyes. Cara stared at him, wonder in her eyes. In that instant I could tell; he was the one for her.

I grinned wickedly at her and she shrugged, smiling a little.

"Hello, Moony," I said with a teasing lilt in my voice. "Is the name suggestive of certain, let-them-remain-unnamed, naughty past times, or just the favourite time of the day?"

The boy called Sirius burst out laughing as the boy named Moony frowned for a moment, then blushed. When Sirius caught his breath, he grinned at me. "You are bad, Rose White. I think I'm going to like you."

Another boy, a small, blonde, watery-eyed boy joined us then as another boy with glasses, brown eyes and black messy hair came over. "Are you making Padfoot laugh, new girl?"

"At my expense," Moony muttered.

Cara rolled her eyes and took the situation into her own (capable) hands. "My name is Cara White and this is my sister, Rose White. We're joining seventh year today."

The boy with the glasses smiled. "Hi. My name is James Potter, that's Remus Lupin" here he pointed to Moony "and this is Peter Pettigrew. Shall we get on the train?"

Sirius grinned again and bounded up the stairs, picking up my trunk with his. "Come on, or else the Slytherins will get our compartment," he said, before proceeding to drag both trunks away with him. I blinked after him for a moment, then glanced at Cara, shrugged, and followed. Behind me, the boy named Remus picked up Cara's trunk and dragged it after us.

When we reached a compartment that Sirius deemed acceptable, and we were all settled in, the boys turned to us and began to grill us over who we were and why we were there.

"So," James began, almost drawling. "You said your names were Rose and Cara White, right? You aren't related to Bernard White, the world-famous wizard who charmed his feet you they could never touch the ground and spent the rest of his life walking on his hands, are you?"

I glanced over and met Cara's eyes. There was mischief in them, so we decided to have a little fun.

"Oh, yeah, Uncle Bernie," I said, leaning back and putting my feet up on the seat. "He used to tell us the best stories of how he crept about-"

"-Peaking under women's skirts," Cara finished. "And he never got in trouble for it, either."

"Really?" Sirius said, sounding excited. "Maybe I should-"

"Don't try it," three voices told him simultaneously. My twin laughed aloud as he looked down, almost disappointed.

"Oh, cheer up Padfoot. It's not like you have much trouble getting girls to let you look up their skirts anyway," Remus pointed out.

He brightened up at that point and smiled. "Well, there is that."

I laughed at him.

"So, you two are obviously sisters and as you are in the same year, may we assume you are twins?" James asked, returning to the original point.

"You may," Cara said formally.

"When is your birthday?" Remus asked.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked him, curious.

"Moony is obsessed with his two favourite classes: Arithmancy and Divination. He's always calculating away in his head, trying to work out what people are really like inside. He probably wants to read your horoscope or something," James explained.

Sirius barked a laugh. "I don't get why he's so obsessed with them. They're a bunch of lies mainly."

Remus looked slightly insulted. "Actually, I just wanted to know when their birthday was because I wanted to know how old they were. But that's cool, we can insult me too."

"Sorry, mate," James and Sirius muttered together. My sister and I exchanged amused glanced and decided to move on.

"We're quite boring really," Cara said. "You don't want to hear about us."

"Yes we do," all four of them said together. I noted that the blonde – Peter – only ever seemed to speak when the others did. He was probably just shy. Poor kid.

Then Sirius opened his mouth and drew my attention back to him as he started to ask us more questions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Cara**

**Conversation in Compartment 12**

I watched Rose as the boys asked more questions. I hate the attention being on me – well, us. I needed a way to stop them asking us questions. I looked around for inspiration, seeing that Rose was feeling the same thing. I saw a Quidditch book on the seat and thought I'd see if they understood our deep love of the game.

"Did you see the Tornados last game?" I asked, Rose's face instantly brightened and the boys became more interested. "I couldn't believe it when they lost," I added.

"Are you fans then?" asked Sirius, his smile brightening as he looked at Rose and we both relaxed at having the light turned from us.

"Yeah, we've been fans since we were kids. We went to see their last match," Rose answered, smiling back at him. It made me smile to see her happy; ever since it happened she'd been miserable. She'd not been like herself, but neither had I. Oh, and she liked Sirius. She hadn't said anything but I knew by looking at her, just the way she undoubtedly knew I liked Remus.

"Do you play then?" asked James, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Yeah, I'm a keeper, and Rose is a chaser," I replied "What about you; do you play?"

"I'm seeker, Sirius is a beater and the others don't play. We're on the Gryffindor team." James' voice was full of pride. "You should try out for the team."

"We were going to, we love-" Rose started but was interrupted.

"Wait, what house are you going to be in?" Peter asked. I'd forgotten he was even in the carriage; it was the first time he'd spoken alone.

"Gryffindor. We got sorted a few weeks ago so we didn't have to be sorted with the first years at the feast," Rose answered. I was so glad we were in Gryffindor as it seemed to be the best house and the boys all seemed to be in Gryffindor. I started thinking about the boys we had so easily made friends with; they all seemed nice (except Peter but that just because he hadn't really gotten involved). I wanted to know more about them.

"So guys, what's with the nicknames?" I asked. James was about to reply when a pretty girl with green eyes and long red hair walked passed with a blacked haired boy.

"Yo, Snivellus, ever considered washing your hair?" called Sirius, his voice almost arrogant. Clearly they didn't get along. I wondered what the problem was. James laughed but his eyes never stopped following the girl.

"Got sick of hanging with the wannabe Death Eater yet, Evans?" called James. A flood of anger chased down my back. A wannabe Death Eater? After a few seconds of silence, the girl didn't answer. Instead she turned to Snivellus.

"Come on Severus; let's go," Evans said walking away. Snivellus turned to follow.

"Hey, Severus, just so you know – Snivellus is a much better name for you. Oh, and Sirius was right; you need to wash your hair," I said, smiling. When Sirius had said 'wannabe Death Eater' I knew he was never going to be a friend so may as well let him know that. The boys and Rose laughed and he stalked off, following the girl.

When they were gone, I wanted to find out the full story. I was about to ask when Rose spoke.

"So what's up with you and Snivellus guys?"

"Um, well… James likes Lily, the girl, and Snivellus hates all Gryffindors, so we don't like him. It's a mutual hatred I guess," Remus said, smiling at me. I felt my heart flutter as I smiled back.

"I can see why you don't like him," Rose said pointedly. Her voice was filled with disgust, but when she caught my eye, we grinned. It looked like we'd have someone to prank and we had some friends, or so it seemed. After dreading this day for weeks we were actually enjoying ourselves.

"We best get changed; we'll be there soon," Remus said as he glanced out the window. Rose and I fetched our robes out and we left the carriage.

"Won't be long," I called over my shoulder. We walked to the toilets quickly as we both wanted to get back. While we changed we finally got to talk.

"So what do you think?" I asked, smiling happily.

"Like you don't already know," Rose joked

"So you like Sirius then."

"So you like Remus then," she answered.

We smiled and laughed. It felt good like we were us again, like nothing had change – only everything had changed.

"Do you think they'll still want to hang around with us when we get there?" I asked, hoping they would.

"I don't know. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah we will," I agreed softly.

Smiling, we left arm in arm to get back to the boys. Maybe this year would be fun after all. We could try out for quidditch, hang out with the boys. We could move on and be happy again. We reached the compartment and I smiled at the boys who had given us hope and reasons to be happy again in just a few short hours. They were brilliant.

"Hey, you're back!" cried the boys.

"Really? We never would have guessed would we Cara?"

"Never," I laughed and so did everyone else.

"You girls are bloody brilliant. I think we're going to be great friends," Sirius said when he stopped laughing.

"Yeah?" Rose asked.

"Yeah."

This was definitely going to be a good year. I looked over at Remus, smiling. He was looking at me and smiled when our eyes met. Rose and Sirius were doing the same. I remembered that we'd never found out about their nicknames so I asked them a second time.

"Well, it's a long story," started James, obviously hesitating.

"Well we're good listeners," Rose replied wanting to know just as much as me.

"Well, um, guys should we tell them?"

"I guess. They're already part of us and they wouldn't snitch." Sirius turned to face us. "Would you?"

"We're not snitches, you know," we replied simultaneously. They looked sheepishly at each other.

"Sorry, is that okay, Moony?"

"Yeah, they'll work it out anyway," he looked up and smiled. James opened his mouth to speak when the train stopped. The story was put on hold as we got ready to get off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Rose**

**A Carriage Ride to Hogwarts**

As we jumped off the train, Sirius put a hand under my arm to help me down. I smiled at him as he led us towards the carriages. I glanced over at Cara where she stood next to Remus. Then I looked at where Sirius was leading me and I stopped dead.

In front of me, a skeletal winged creature stood. It was black and horse-like, although it stood taller than any horse I had ever seen. When it breathed out the air around it turned to ice. I felt my eyes widen.

"W-what," I stuttered, "Are those?"

Sirius glanced down at me and frowned. I must have looked pale and frightened. Thinking back, I felt pale and frightened. "What are what?" he asked.

I pointed. Doing this brought my hand into the vicinity of the creature and I froze as it turned its head towards me. For a long moment we locked eyes, before it leant down and licked me.

I shrieked and jumped backwards, into Sirius' arms.

Cara turned away from her conversation and froze too. Then she cleared her throat. "Don't freak out, Rosie," she said, her voice sounding almost too normal. "It is a thestral."

The others looked mildly amused and interested. "A thestral? They're meant to be bad omens," Remus mused.

"Nah," Peter muttered. "It's just because they can only be seen by those who've seen death. People are just prejudiced."

I stood staring at the creature- thestral, I mentally corrected myself, and swallowed. "It… it licked me," I said, my voice sounding curiously quiet and fragile. Behind me, Sirius squeezed my shoulders.

"Don't be afraid. They won't hurt you," he told me. "Now, let's get in the carriages before they're all taken."

I stepped forwards and patted the thestral's head cautiously, then stepped back and joined the boys and Cara. Together, we climbed up into a carriage.

Inside the carriage – a magically enlarged one – sat a blonde boy, a black haired girl, a blonde haired girl and a younger boy who resembled Sirius, who actually flinched and almost tried to back away. The four glanced up and looked at us with contempt in their eyes.

"Running away, Black?" the blonde boy drawled.

Before Sirius could answer I snapped, "What, you think you're worth running from? Come on, Sirius." I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the carriage, seating us against the wall. He seemed to radiate anger, so I squeezed his hands as the others joined us.

The blonde boy looked at me and dismissed me, then glanced at my sister. He seemed to deem her worthy though, and checked her out. I could have hit him.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce us?" Cara asked, her voice suddenly light and lilting. Sirius swallowed angrily as the younger version of Sirius looked up, snorted, then looked back out of the window.

"Of course, where are my manners?" the blonde boy said. "My name is Lucius Malfoy. This is Bellatrix Black and Narcissa Black, and that is Regulus Black. And you are?" His gaze lingered on my sister and she glanced nervously at me as my anger spiked.

I smiled. Always a dangerous sign. "Well, we are the new Gryffindors, and as ironic as it is, our names are Cara and Rose _White_. Quite funny that, hey?"

Malfoy's head snapped round to stare at me. "_White_?" he repeated. "You- you're Rose and Cara White?"

My eyes narrowed. "Does that mean something to you?"

"You're the heiresses of the oldest wizarding family _in the world_," the girl named Bellatrix started slowly, "And you don't think that means something?"

Even Regulus looked shocked. Our four new friends looked vaguely amused at the almost worshipful reactions of the others. Cara swallowed.

"We do not care for purity of blood, or how many generations before us have had our blood," she started.

"One should be judged on what the individual achieves, not the age of our family," I finished.

The four looked sceptical. "The four of them come from families in which blood is all that matters," Sirius almost snarled.

The blonde girl – Narcissa – looked up and snorted sarcastically. "Yes, _cousin_, our family does share the – correct – belief that purity of blood matters. Auntie Walburga sends her love."

Sirius paled and looked away angrily. I glanced between the two of them and I could feel my eyes narrow.

"So purity of blood matters, does it?" I asked, my voice a whisper. When the others looked at me as if they thought I was stupid I swear my vision flashed red. "And you support the man known now as Lord Voldemort, who also believes this to be correct?"

The four flinched at the name. "You _dare_ speak his name?" Bellatrix snapped.

"We share his beliefs," the young boy said softly, speaking for the first time.

"We are the oldest wizarding family in the world. Purity of blood matters and ours could not be more pure. You believe this. So then why-"

"Rose, don't," Cara put in, but I carried on mercilessly.

"Why would he have murdered our parents and pretty much every remaining relative we had? Pure blood my arse," I snapped. "All you want is power and are using that as an excuse."

The four Slytherins (which I could tell from their robes) looked shocked. Then the carriage rocked to a halt and I stood up angrily, shoving my way from the carriage.

As I jumped down, Cara grabbed my arm. "Are you okay?" she asked me softly. When I nodded, she punched me on the shoulder.

"Ow," I protested, flinching away and rubbing my shoulder. "What was _that_ for?"

"That was for rising to their stupid bait, you dumbass." She sighed but smiled fondly at me. "Sometimes, you are the most stupid person in the world."

"Then she is a perfect match for Sirius," James told us, before turning to go to the castle. The four Slytherins had already marched away.

I glanced over at Sirius and smiled sympathetically. He still seemed angry, so I swung an arm around his waist. He put an arm over my shoulder, and together we hurried up to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – ****Cara**

**The Feast**

I watched as Rose and Sirius walked up to the castle, arms around each other. I smiled fondly; it was nice to see my dumbass of a sister so happy. The Slytherins were ahead. I couldn't stand it, watching them laugh at us. They would pay – we'd have fun messing with them.

"Hey, you coming?" Remus called over his shoulder as he stopped to wait for me.

"Sorry, just got lost in thought," I told him.

"It's okay, happens to me all the time." He smiled, reaching for my hand. I took it, smiling back.

"So what's it like?" I asked. I was curious, as we'd never gone to school. It was all so strange and new.

"Hogwarts? It's great. You'll love it. What school did you go to before?"

"We didn't. We were home schooled by our mum but now…" I trailed off, with sudden tears forming in my eyes.

"Oh, hey," he muttered, catching a glimpse of them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine. It's just so hard. I miss them, that's all." I paused for a second and got myself together. "Anyway we should catch the others up." We hurried and caught up. James and Peter were chatting away and Sirius was talking with Rose. They no longer had their arms around each other but they were holding hands just like me and Remus. It was like we were already couples and it made me smile.

We reached the great hall and the boys sat at the Gryffindor table. Sirius pulled Rose next to him and Remus did the same with me. I caught Rose's eye and nodded to the Slytherin table. She grinned back and I knew we had the same idea. Dumbledore stood up and made a speech before the first years came in to be sorted. I watched, wishing that we'd been there in the first year to be sorted.

Once the sorting was over we started the feast. It was magnificent. I don't think I'd ever seen so much food, and then it just appeared on the table – it was magical. When I got over the shock, I glanced at Rose and with a short nod from her we both cast a repelling charm on the dishes at the Slytherin table.

Every time one of them reached towards a dish it moved away. Soon everyone was watching and laughing at them, even the some of the teachers were struggling not to laugh. Professor McGonagall came over after a few minutes glaring at the boys.

"WHAT DID YOU DO BOYS?" she thundered.

"Nothing Professor, honest," they said together, the picture of innocence.

"Professor, they didn't do anything. We would have seen," I said quickly. We didn't want them to get in trouble for our prank.

"Well if you're sure," McGonagall said slowly as she turned to leave. Once she was gone the four boys looked at us expectantly.

"Well, what did you do?" Sirius asked, clearly impressed.

"What do you mean? We haven't done anything," we said in unison, laughing.

"Tell us," James said, while Peter said, "Go on," and Remus said, "You know you want to."

"Later, in the common room," Rose told them, looking over at me. I smiled at her, letting her know I was okay with telling them.

"So," I continued. "You guys still haven't told us about your nicknames." I was still curious, after all. They were hiding something and we were going to find out what.

"Later, in the common room," came Remus' identical reply.

"Yeah, it's a date," I said looking at Remus. He met my eyes and smiled.

"I can't wait," he said staring at me.

The feast was amazing, the food was excellent, and it was nice to laugh and joke with the boys. For the first time in ages I felt like me again. I'd missed laughing and smiling. In fact I'd just been missing being happy, but in the last few weeks we haven't had much to be happy about. It was nice to be with people the same age as me. I mean I had Rose (always) but we never had other friends our age. Here we could have friends – or boyfriends even, something our parents would have freaked about. Here we could be normal teenagers. We could be Cara and Rose White, not the heiresses of the oldest wizarding family in the world. It would make a nice change to be free.

"Sickle for your thoughts," a voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see it was Remus smiling at me and looked across to see that Rose was deep in conversation with Sirius, a big grin on both their faces.

"They aren't worth that much. I was just thinking about Hogwarts."

"It's great here; honestly you'll love it."

"I know, but it's so different from at home. It all so new and different I'm nervous about it."

"It'll be fine, and you've got me, James, Sirius and Peter to look out for you," he pointed out with a small smile.

"You don't have to look out for us you know; we'll be fine" I said quietly looking down. "We always have been."

"It's what friends are for," he said simply. This made me smile. We had friends, good friends and it was only the first night. So I simply smiled and asked him about the professors, changing the subject. At once all four of the boys started telling us about them and the lessons. I looked at Rose and saw that she looked how I felt. Happy.

We laughed and joked, talking about the school. They told us everything we wanted to know. By the end of the feast we knew who everyone was, what professors were good and which weren't. Dumbledore stood up when the feast was over and said a few nonsense words (seriously, what's with nitwit, oddment, blubber and tweet?) before telling us to go to bed. We hurried to get up with the boys. We rushed along and started to follow the other Gryffindors but the boys pulled our hands and took us down a different corridor. They pulled open a tapestry and walked through.

"Come on, this way's quicker," James called back to Rose and me. We followed them quickly, not wanting to be left behind. Hidden shortcuts and new friends. It was making me feel light and free. We came out at the top of a different corridor laughing as Sirius fell into Peter knocking them both over.

They struggled to get up, making us laugh more. After a few more minutes Rose helped Sirius up and James gave Peter a hand. We started to walk again. Sirius was still holding the hand Rose had offered him and they looked sweet, walking hand in hand. James was still laughing as he walked on, talking to Peter and Remus. Rose looked over her shoulder and smiled at me.

"Come on Cara, we haven't got all night." I laughed and hurried to catch up with them. When I reached them, Remus reached out and grabbed my hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"It'll be fine," he whispered as we walked to the Fat Lady's portrait. We all looked at her and realised that we may be here first but none of us knew the password to the tower. We looked at each other and all burst out laughing. Looks like we'd be waiting for the prefects anyway.

"Well that didn't work so well guys. Next time ask someone the password first." Rose said with a wink.

"Well you didn't ask either," Peter said speaking to us for practically the first time. I glared at him and was about to reply when Sirius spoke.

"How were they to know that we didn't have the password? It's their first day, Wormtail, be a bit nicer!" With that he turned to face us. "Just ignore him. It was stupid not to get the password but at least you're not getting bugged by the others about why you're here."

"Thanks, that was really nice and there's no way you're stupid. We were only joking," I said with a smile and Rose nodded in agreement.

"I know," was his reply.

"We'd rather stand out here with you guys than be harassed by other Gryffindors." Rose said smiling. We heard noises and saw that the other Gryffindors were coming up the staircase.

Then Remus laughed, saying, "I'm a prefect, you dumbasses," and turned to the portrait saying, "Veritas."

The portrait swung open and together we climbed in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – Rose**

**Sharing Secrets**

As I stepped into the Gryffindor common room, following after James and Peter, I was struck by the atmosphere of the red and gold room. It was filled with the crackling of fire and there were sofas and comfy chairs and tables dotted around. James flung himself down onto one of the couches in front of the fire.

As the others filled the room and my sister and our new friends sat down, I was captivated by the sight of a beautiful grand piano. I drifted towards it, barely daring to breathe in case it disappeared.

Cara glanced up and smiled. "Oh, here we go again with the girl who can't resist a piano." Then she laughed and turned to the boys. "Watch her; she has to play if she sees one. It's like an addiction."

"She plays piano?" I heard Sirius ask, interest in his voice.

"Hush," Cara told him as I took a seat at the bench, opening the piano. "Just listen to her."

Delicately, I placed my fingers onto the keys and pressed down into a C major chord. It rang through the air, perfectly tuned. I supposed it was magically tuned.

Then I ran through some scales and gave a happy sigh. I heard Cara's tinkling laugh from where she sat, and launched into the tune that had been running through my head all night.

It began softly, a minor key, a tiny melody playing across the top end. Then I added in a base line and soon my fingers were flying across the keys, the music soaring around me. Playing had always filled me with emotion – happy, said, light or dark, it didn't matter. Playing was the only way for me to really show my true self and I loved it.

As the music reached its peak I lowered the tempo and pitch, playing softer as I led it to its inevitable conclusion. As my fingers played the final chord, I bowed my head and closed my eyes against the tears that threatened.

Then I heard someone start to clap and Cara's hands were on my shoulders.

"Beautiful," she whispered to me.

"What's that called?" Sirius asked, coming across from the fire and leaning against the wall beside us. "It was beautiful."

I hesitated. Then, glancing over at Cara, I told him, "I don't have a name for it yet."

"Wait," James said. "You _wrote_ that?"

"Wow," Remus added. "That was…"

"Incredible," Peter finished.

"Absolutely incredible," Sirius agreed.

I smiled, ducking my head. Then I closed the piano and stepped away, going to the fire with the others. "Didn't we agree to tell you what we did at dinner in return for you explaining your nicknames?" I asked.

Cara took a seat opposite me, beside Remus. I sat next to Peter, on the other side of Sirius. James took the last seat, next to Cara.

"You first," all six of us said together. There was a beat of silence before we broke out laughing.

"Ladies first," James said gallantly.

"Not a chance," we said together. Then Cara carried on, "We've already revealed to you one secret; it's your turn."

"What secret was that?" Peter asked. I got the feeling from him that he was a little bit dense.

Sirius reached across me and hit him on the head. "Dumbass," he muttered. "The family thing?"

"Oh," he muttered back, blushing. The others laugh, and he said, "Shut up."

I turned expectantly to James, who looked at Sirius, who looked at Remus. "I think this one's yours, Moony."

He paled, glancing at Cara before looking down at his hands. "Are you sure? I- I don't want to scare you away."

I looked at the pale boy and felt understanding strike me. Moony. Scare us away. It all fit together… I shot a look at Cara, who was still looking curiously at Remus. She hadn't fit the clues together.

"Moony," I whispered. He looked up at me.

"You put it together then?" he asked, his voice scratchy. I reached over and placed my hand on his, nodding. "And you aren't scared of me? Repulsed by me?"

Cara's eyes widened beside me but I simply smiled. "As long as you aren't a Death Eater, then you're good by me."

"What are you saying?" my sister asked, frowning slightly. "Remus?"

He looked at her and looked down. "Please don't think badly of me because of this. I'm… a werewolf."

Cara went pale, automatically reaching up and wrapping a hand around her neck. "A werewolf," she whispered. For a second, no one moved or spoke and time seemed to freeze, before my twin placed her arm around his waist and her head on his shoulder. "You poor thing! That's _dreadful_."

He looked down at her, shocked, automatically hugging her to him. "You don't hate me? Or think I'm a monster?"

"Of course not!" she said. "How could I? You poor thing!" she repeated, looking upset. I smiled and sat back. My sister: the most compassionate girl on the face of the earth.

"So, what's with the other nicknames?" I asked, glanced back at Sirius. He grinned.

"Well, when we found out about Moony's furry little problem, we decided to do what we could to help him. So…"

"We became animagi to keep him company during that time of the month," James explained.

"And so," Sirius continued, "Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail were born."

Cara and I exchanged sly grins. "A stag, a dog and a rat?" she guessed. The others nodded. "Un-registered?" she ventured.

They grinned and nodded.

We laughed. I leant over to Sirius and whispered into his ear, "So are we."

He looked at me, shocked. "No," he breathed.

"Well, we're registered," I added, "But we can change into animals too."

"What are your forms?" Peter asked, interested.

We grinned at each other. "Shall we show them, sister?" Cara asked me. I grinned and together we stood, delving down into ourselves and changing.

When the transformation finished we opened our eyes as our animagus selves. Across from me, a beautiful white fox stood, fur sleek and shiny and beautiful blue-grey eyes. I knew, if I could have seen myself, I would have seen a black fox in my place, with one green eye and one brown eye.

We held our forms for a minute longer while the entire common room stared at us, no one speaking. Then Sirius bent down next to me and reached out, stroking my face.

"Wow," he whispered. Cheekily, I reached out and licked his hand. He grinned and stepped back as I changed back.

"What do you think?" I asked him teasingly as I took my seat next to him again. Cara, still in her fox shape, jumped up on to the sofa and then curled up in Remus' lap. I laughed at her.

Sirius stared at me, eyes smiling. "You're as beautiful in that form as you are human," he told me. I flushed and smiled back.

"You're animagi?" the red-headed girl from the train asked, eyes wide as she stared at my sister curled up on Remus. "Are you registered?"

"Of course," I told her absently as I, along with our new friends, watched Remus tentatively reach out and began to stroke her. He was hesitant, but when he felt my sister's fur (which was as soft as it looked) he relaxed a little and began to pet her.

Cara's fox face grinned and she made a small noise of contentment.

"So," James said, turning back to me. "It's your turn, Miss White."

I chuckled. "It was simple really," I told him modestly. "Cara and I just cast a couple of repelling charms that meant the Slytherins couldn't touch the plates. It was very amusing."

The three boys exchanged grins. "Why did we never think of that?" Sirius drawled.

"I think we need these two," James muttered. The other two nodded, glanced over at Remus (who was still wrapped up with my sister) and then looked back at me. "I think the marauders would like to offer an invitation to the two sisters of White. Would you like to join us in our pranking mission?"

I grinned. Perfect. "On behalf of my sister and I, I accept your invitation, marauder."

"Welcome to the team," Sirius told me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – ****Cara**

**Planning Pranks**

I stayed curled up in Remus' lap for a few more minutes before turning back to my human form. The whole common room was staring and it was starting to get annoying. In my human form, I turned to the red head from the train (who was also staring).

"What is it Evans? Any reason your staring?" I asked, irritated.

"It's Lily and I was just wondering how you're registered already. You're a bit young aren't you?"

"Clearly we're not too young," Rose said turning to face her. She gave her the famous White glare. Evans looked a bit scared and left it. I grinned at Rose as Evans stormed away. It looked like she was only brave when she was defending Snivellus. "So when do we get to see you guys transformed?" I asked quietly.

"Um, when everyone's gone to bed," Sirius said, grinning mischievously. "In the meantime, have you got any more ideas for pranks?"

"Of course!" we replied simultaneously with matching evil grins. We then launched into a discussion of pranks. They were good but we had some ideas they'd never thought of.

"I know – have you tried a charm on the toilet to stop liquid entering? You could do it to the boys' toilets and we could do it to the girls," I said. "No one could tell until they tried it."

"That is brilliant!" the marauders replied, identical grins on their faces. I looked up at Remus, smiling. I was still sat in his lap and his arms were around me. I had been surprised when he'd said he was a werewolf, but I didn't like him any less for it. I nestled closer and looked over to Rose, who sat leaning against Sirius, his arm was around her. She was smiling. She met my eyes and grinned. I nodded my head towards Sirius as she did the same toward Remus and we laughed. The boys exchanged glances, looking bemused, but they didn't ask.

"So when do we do it?" Rose asked excitedly.

"How about we do it this weekend?" James asked, equally excited. We all grinned and set about planning the prank. All the toilets would need to be charmed including the professors'. We decided to sneak out Friday night and charm all the toilets so that no liquid could pass through. The only problem I could see was how we could sneak out without being caught.

"Guys, there's just one problem; what if we get caught sneaking out?" Rose asked, voicing my concerns.

"We won't," James promised with a grin.

"How can you be sure?" I asked, slightly confused at how certain he was. James looked around at the now empty common room before he replied.

"I've got an invisibility cloak." Wow, that was not what I was expecting and, from the look on Rose's face, she was just as surprised.

"Let's see then – and don't forget you've still got to show us your animagi forms."

They laughed and James went to get his cloak. When he was gone Sirius got up and changed into a gorgeous black dog. Rose looked at him and smiled. He walked over to her and licked her (getting her back for earlier). I laughed as Rose wrinkled her nose and squealed.

"Sirius, stop! It tickles." Rose giggled as he licked her face again. He jumped up and curled next to her as she stroked his silky fur. James came back with a cloak and a piece of old parchment, which he put on the chair and transformed into a beautiful stag. It was a magnificent sight. He turned back to himself and sat down turning to Peter.

"Show them yours, Wormy," he said cheerfully. With that encouragement the quiet boy turned into a small rat. It was far from impressive and was hardly beautiful. I looked over at Rose who wasn't even looking as she was still stroking Sirius' fur. Remus looked at my face and laughed softly. It was such a beautiful laugh pure and gentle. He glanced at the chair.

"So we're showing them the map too?" he asked James who just nodded and laughed as Sirius changed back and fell off the sofa in his excitement. We laughed as he got up blushing, but Rose just hugged him.

"You are going to love this," James said, pulling the cloak on and disappearing. He really did have an invisibility cloak. We could have a lot of fun with that… and it looked like they already did. James took the cloak off and Sirius grabbed the parchment. He tapped it with his wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and a magical map of Hogwarts appeared on the parchment – showing all the people in the castle.

"Wow, that's impressive," I stated. And it was. It was a map of the whole castle showing everything and everyone.

"We made it ourselves," Remus said proudly. "It's called the Marauders Map." The four boys grinned at us and we grinned back. This was going to be a fun.

There were passages out of the school, seven of them, so we could sneak out to Hogsmeade.

"That is bloody brilliant," Rose said, smiling brightly before she yawned loudly. I glanced at the clock; it was almost two.

"It's late. We should go to bed," Remus said just as I opened my mouth to speak. We all mumbled in agreement and stood up stretching. Rose and I hugged them goodnight and then we hurried up to the girls' dormitory, whispering quietly.

"WOW! Today's been amazing!" I exclaimed happily. Rose just smiled in agreement as we reached the seventh years' room. We changed quickly, still talking of the day's events. The day that we had been dreading had been the best day we'd had in a long time.

Sighing happily I got into bed and said goodnight to Rose. Lying back on the bed, I wasn't afraid to sleep for the first time in weeks. They'd made me forget my nightmares and what had happened. Rose fell asleep within minutes and I was only moments behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – Rose**

**A Potions Lesson and a Warning**

The next morning, after showering (the magical showers were interesting… they had infinite amounts of pranking opportunities) and dressing, Cara and I hurried down the stairs to see the marauders just leaving their dorm.

"Hey," James said, spotting us. Instantly, Sirius' head snapped round to stare at me. It was uncannily like a dog spotting a rabbit.

"Morning," Cara and I said together. Sirius and Remus grinned, making their way over to us.

Stopping in front of me, Sirius bowed as Remus moved on to chat with Cara. "Miss White," he said, his voice light and teasing.

"Master Black," I returned.

"May I accompany you down to breakfast?" he asked, offering me a hand. Suppressing a laugh, I placed my hand in his.

"I would be honoured," I told him.

"Oi," James called. "Padfoot! Moony! Stop flirting and come on! I'm hungry!"

"When aren't you hungry?" Remus asked, amused. Sirius grinned and moved to follow James, then glanced back at me.

"Shall we?" I asked, dragging him towards the portrait hole with a smile. "Come on Cara!"

"Coming," my twin called back.

We had to go down seven flights of stairs to reach the Great Hall, but Sirius talked to me the whole way down, pointing out different paintings and classrooms. As we reached the Great Hall, he was telling me about a prank they did in their third year.

"…So every time a Slytherin tried to step down the staircase, it would turn into a slide!" he laughed. "We got a month worth of detentions, but it was so worth it."

I grinned as I took a seat on the bench. "I hope it was. While we were home-schooled, Jewell, Cara and I spent pretty much our entire time pranking each other-"

"Jewell?" James interrupted. "Who's Jewell?"

I paled as I realised what I said. I glanced at the doors, where Cara and Remus were coming in, and spoke in a low voice. "Jewell was our little brother. His name was Julian, but when he was a baby he used to love sparkly things, so we called him Jewell. The nickname kind of… stuck." I glanced up at them and winced at the pity in their eyes. "Please, don't mention him in front of Cara. She was distraught when he died."

They promised they wouldn't as she took a seat on the bench. While we were serving ourselves breakfast, Professor McGonagall marched down the table, handing out timetables.

"Miss White and Miss White," she said, staring down her nose at us.

"Professor," we said together in greeting.

"From my understanding, up until now you have been studying – up to NEWT level – Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Is this correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," we said together.

"Normally we only allow students to study seven subjects at NEWT level. If you would be willing to take one as personal study we might be able to sort it out," she suggested.

We exchanged a glance. "Perhaps we can do Ancient Runes as individual study?" Cara suggested. "We're quite proficient at that." I nodded in agreement.

"Proficient enough to take your NEWT on Saturday?" Professor McGonagall asked.

I smiled. "Probably."

"Then that's how we shall do it," she told us, tapping two blank timetables and handing them to us. "Here you go. I believe Mr Potter, Mr Black, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew have similar, if not identical, timetables, so they can show you around."

"Yes, professor," the six of us chimed. She handed the boys their timetables and moved on.

I glanced at the timetable. "Double Potions first, then Transfiguration and double Defence this afternoon… I know you guys said Slughorn's a sweetie and McGonagall is nice if strict, but I don't remember what you said about the Defence professor. Grey, was it?"

"Mmm," Peter muttered. "Professor Grey's okay."

"No, he's not," Sirius countered under his breath. "He's an annoying little-"

"An annoying little what, Mr Black?" asked a slimy voice from behind us. I winced as we turned to see the Defence professor standing there.

"Uh…" Sirius said, hesitating.

"An annoying little amount of time to do homework, sir," my mouth said before my brain caught up. "Sirius was talking about how much he loved your class, but thought you gave them too little time to do homework."

Grey turned to stare at me for a long moment. I met his gaze with a steady stare of my own and a small smile. He snorted and broke our gaze.

"Perhaps," he said softly. "If Mr Black spent less time pranking, playing quidditch and chasing after girls he would have enough time to do my homework. I shall see you all in class." With that he turned and slithered away.

I snorted as I turned to look at the others, who all – except for Cara – looked impressed.

"Cheers for that," Sirius said. "That was impressive. I don't think I've ever seen him lose a staring contest with anyone before."

I laughed. "Come on. I don't want to be late for my first Potions lesson." We stood and left the Great Hall together.

Down in the dungeons we sat down, two to a table. I found myself (where else?) next to Sirius, with Cara next to Remus and James and Peter seated together in front of us. James turned and grinned at Sirius, nodding to the door.

"You ready?" he asked, with a grin.

"I was born ready, Prongs," he shot back.

Cara shot a look at me. "What are you guys-" she started but got cut off as the door opened, more students pouring in.

The first two in were Gryffindors, and nothing happened. But as the next group, all Slytherins (as we had Potions with them), came in, they started to change. Their bodies twisted and changed and then-

"Ferrets?" I asked, my voice breaking out through the sudden silence. "Seriously, _ferrets_?" Then I burst out laughing.

The boys and Cara joined in as the Slytherin-ferrets crept around, looking mutinous. The door opened again and Professor Slughorn's belly preceded him into the room.

"Ho, ho, what is this?" he asked, staring around the room full of Gryffindor students and ferrets. "Are those my students?" Then he turned to the six of us with a small smile on his lips. "Mr Potter, are you to blame for this?"

James, the picture of innocence, said, "What, me? Never, professor!"

Slughorn shook his head with a rueful sigh. "Very well. Now, what can we do to change you back?" Then he waved his wand at the group of ten ferrets who were instantly replaced by a group of angry students.

The blonde from the night before, Lucius, glared at us, before taking a seat next to the blonde girl, Narcissa.

The other Gryffindors sat down. Sirius pointed them out to me and under his breath muttered, "That's Frank Longbottom, and his girlfriend, Alice Prewitt. The other girl is Mary Jane Richards and you already know Lily Evans."

I smiled. "Do I want to know about the Slytherins?"

He shot me a sly look. "No."

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat and began, "Well, welcome back! This year is possibly the most important year of your academic careers so far, as, at the end, you shall be sitting your NEWTs. Now, I want you to make certain you are sitting with someone you like, but not someone who will distract you as they are to be your Potions partner for the rest of the year, and you will be doing a lot of work with them."

After that, he launched into a lecture about lichen-based potions and the importance of brewing them at certain temperatures, before setting us a potion to brew. "This," he said grandly, "Is the Brew of Silence. It uses all of the methods we mentioned before and is very important to be exact with it, otherwise it may explode. Instructions are on the board. Brewing may commence!"

I grinned at Sirius and stood to get the ingredients. When I reached the cupboard, Bellatrix Black stood beside me. She glared heavily at me and, under her breath, told me, "Be careful, blood traitor. You never know who might put a knife in your back."

With that, she turned and flounced away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Cara**

**Payback and Happiness**

I watched as Bellatrix walked away from Rose. I don't know what she said, but looking at Rose's face she was going to pay for it. I finished preparing my ingredients and started to brew the potion, all the while planning how to get back at Bellatrix when it hit me. If I made her flame hotter the potion would explode over her and the other Slytherins. I smiled as I waited for my spell to take its toll on her potion.

I was quickly rewarded.

There was a sudden loud bang as the green liquid exploded over the Slytherins. A few drops splashed towards us, but nothing more. The Gryffindors all laughed at the spluttering, drenched Slytherins. Slughorn made his way over, looked at Bellatrix's cauldron and shook his head.

"Bellatrix, I told you to keep the heat low, really, did you not listen at all?"

"Sir, it's not my fault honestly," she exclaimed angrily. She looked around and saw me smirking at her.

"That is quite enough, Miss Black! Class dismissed. I suggest you all get cleaned up and Miss Back I will see you here tomorrow evening for detention." This was perfect; it served her right for trying to mess with Rose. We filed out laughing and walked out, heading for the lake. It wasn't until we had all sat down and gotten comfortable that they turned to me.

"Well, Cara, what did you do?" Remus asked me poking me gently in the ribs.

"ME! I don't know what you mean, Moony," I told him and laughed.

"Of course not, now how'd you do it?"

"Fine. It was a warming charm and it made the flames hotter. It served her right!"

"That's great. But what did she do exactly?" asked James.

"She said something to Rose that made her look a bit scared-"

"Cara Marie White you are a complete and utter moron!" Rose snapped, glaring at me, and looked down in embarrassment. "It wasn't worth it you know," she said softly.

"Yeah it was Rose, she upset you and it's not like you wouldn't have done if it was the other way round," I said simply "Anyway what did she say?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does!" I said at the same time as the marauders. We looked at each other grinning slightly before we turned back to Rose.

"Well?" I asked. I wasn't giving up and from the look on Rose's face she knew that. She sighed dramatically, then pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her chest tightly.

"Well… she said-" she broke off, looked down and took a deep breath. "She said, "Be careful, blood traitor. You never know who might put a knife in your back." It doesn't matter though."

"That little cow. When I get my hands on her…" I trailed off, already planning ways to get her back for that.

"Leave it Ca, okay?" I nodded, but I wasn't over with Bellatrix yet.

"No way Rose; she can't get away with it!" Sirius said angrily. "She can't do things like that. It's wrong and she can't just get away with it." Rose fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I made her potion blow up in her face and if Rose doesn't want us to do anything we won't. This is her fight, not ours. So just drop it, yeah?" I said, giving Sirius a sharp look. He glared at me but didn't argue. I stuck my tongue out laughing at the moody look on his face.

"Come on guys, we need to get to transfiguration," Remus said as he stood up. He offered me his hand, which I took, and we started to walk as the others joined us. Rose was hand in hand with Sirius and they were talking quietly. James and Peter were walking further behind looking bemused.

Transfiguration was with the Ravenclaws and they were alright. I sat down; Remus sat on my left Rose on my right with Sirius on her other side. A bemused James sat in front with Peter. Frank and Alice sat with them. Professor McGonagall walked in and made a book on her desk disappear.

"Today we will be learning a simple vanishing spell." And with that the book reappeared. She explained how it worked and what we had to do. I smiled happily. She was a great teacher and this was going to be fun. She handed out feathers for us to vanish and told us to start.

I looked at my feather, waved my wand, and said "Evanesco." I heard Rose doing the same beside me and both of the feathers disappeared. I grinned and knew that if I looked Rose would have an identical grin. The others looked impressed.

"Well girls I see you have been taught well. Have you tried a vanishing spell before?" McGonagall asked, coming over.

"No, Professor, we're just quick learners." I smiled and Rose nodded. The boys were grinning at us. McGonagall nodded and walked along. We watched as the boys tried. On the third try Remus, Sirius and James had done it but Peter was still unable to.

James spent the rest of the lesson helping him, while Rose, Remus, Sirius and I all sat chatting. After a few minutes Rose was deep in conversation with Sirius. I turned to Remus who started to ask me questions.

"What's your favourite colour?" he shot at me, grinning.

"Um, silver, yours?" I was smiling now; it was quite fun.

"Blue. Okay, favourite food?" I thought about this one before I answered.

"Sticky toffee pudding."

"Same," he said with a laugh "What about sport?"

"Dance then quidditch you?"

"Um, quidditch. So you dance then?"

"Yeah, ballet and a bit of ballroom. Rose plays the piano and I dance." I smiled softly. I remembered dancing with Julian, trying to teach him the waltz. Rose played as we waltz around the room. I adored little Jewell. I still couldn't believe he was gone. I could deal with everything else, but not that. He was my baby brother. How could they kill him? He was so young, sweet, innocent. He'd never done anything yet he was still gone. I wish it was me that they'd got and that he was okay. I hadn't even been there with him; we'd never even said goodbye. He was still asleep when we left to go to the village. He was there, he got hurt, killed and we were in the village buying his birthday present. He never got it; he never made it to his 12th birthday. I'll never forgive myself for that. I let him down; I let them hurt him. I felt a tear escape and reached to wipe it away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Remus had clearly noticed. I didn't know what to say; he didn't even know I had a brother. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, you know." He looked at me, his eyes full of concern as he gave me a small sweet smile. I swallowed and got ready to tell him.

"I was just thinking about how I used to waltz around with my little brother, Julian, when Rose was playing the piano. I miss him so much. He was so sweet; I adored him. He was almost 12 when they…" I trailed off, took a deep breath and carried on. "Rose and I had gone out first thing to get him a birthday present. We didn't say goodbye because we didn't want be mean and say he couldn't come. We never got to say goodbye. When we got back, the house looked like a war zone and he was gone, along with my parents. His face, his sweet little face, had such a look of terror on it. I let him down, and I can't tell him I'm sorry. I'd do anything to have Jewell back," I finished, my voice scratchy. I could feel tears in my eyes and wiped them away. Remus reached for my hand and squeezed it gently.

"It wasn't your fault, you know. You couldn't have done anything."

"I could have held his hand, hugged him. I could have stopped him from being scared. I could have stepped in front of him and taken the curse that killed him." More tears started to fall as I spoke.

"Hey, don't cry. Okay, you didn't know. At least this way you and Rose get to live instead of you all dying needlessly." As he spoke he wiped the tears away and gave me a small hug.

"Peter, you did it," James said loudly, interrupting the whispered conversations of Remus and I and Rose and Sirius. "Well done, mate."

"Well done Peter," we all said, smiling at him. Remus still held my hand and he gave it another small squeeze. I turned to Rose who had clearly heard the conversation. She hugged me and smiled softly, then whispered, "It wasn't your fault, Ca." I smiled sadly at her; maybe it wasn't, but I still felt guilty.

"Well, that was it for today. Well done class! You have all managed to vanish your feathers. Your homework is to write an essay of the uses of vanishing spells. It is to be no shorter than one roll of parchment and I expect it in next lesson. Class dismissed," McGonagall called from the front of the room. We packed away quickly and hurried of to lunch.

Walking to the Great Hall, Remus reached for my hand and linked his fingers between mine. Rose wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Cheer up sis; it'll be okay."

"I know. I'm alright." as I spoke Sirius came up and put an arm around her waist and Rose moved closer. I looked at them and smiled. We still had each other. I looked at the four boys around us and knew we had the marauders too. No matter what, they were our friends. Feeling somewhat lighter and happier we reached the Great Hall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – Rose**

**A Nasty Lesson in Defence**

Sitting in the Great Hall, Sirius on one side and Cara on the other, I couldn't help but pick at my food. Every time I considered eating, a pair of dark, cruel eyes looked at me and I felt a stab between my shoulder blades. One question ran through my mind. How could she have known?

Sirius glanced over at me and nudged me in the ribs, quite softly. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, checking my (undoubtedly pale) face and looking at my full plate. "You haven't eaten much."

I shrugged. "I'm not that hungry."

Cara frowned and glanced over her shoulder at me from where she was wrapped up with Remus. "Rose," she said, with a warning in her voice. "Eat something."

I glanced at her and stood up. "I said I wasn't hungry." My voice was soft and steady, but I knew Cara could read it without trouble.

She blinked up at me, shocked, then grabbed my hand and tried to tug me down. I shook her off in disgust and tried to walk away, but Sirius caught me around the middle and pulled me back.

"At least explain, Rose. We're trying to help you," he said pleadingly. I looked down, took a deep breath, then swung around and met my sister's gaze. With a blink, realisation dawned in her eyes.

Together, we whispered, "A knife in your back."

She shuddered, her eyes filling with compassionate tears, and stood up, wrapping her arms around me. "Oh, Rose, I forgot! How could I?"

I shrugged and looked at my hands. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." Then I sighed. "I need to get out of here." I turned and walked out of the Great Hall.

At the door, I paused, glancing back at the others questioningly. They stood to join me. While they were coming across the Hall, I turned to look at the Slytherin table. Bellatrix Black met my gaze and smiled, mouthing at me, "Watch your back."

I winced and looked away. As the others joined me and we walked away, I heard her cruel laughter fill the hall. Instinctively, Sirius turned, anger colouring his vision. I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop.

"She's not worth it."

He growled as he watched her with brooding eyes. "No one should speak to you like that, not if it's something you shouldn't be tormented about."

"Out of simple curiosity," Remus said, helping me steer Sirius from the hall, "What is it about that particular choice of words that bothers you so much?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," I said, at the same time as Cara said, "She was stabbed."

I turned and glared at her as the others gave various exclamations of shock and horror. Sirius went very pale very quickly, which I found ironic given his surname. Then, choosing my words carefully and speaking in a low and careful tone, I said, "It was just after the attack on the house. A Death Eater remained to watch the house and while we were searching for our family she stabbed me between the shoulder blades. I very nearly didn't make it."

Then I turned to look at Sirius and touched his arm. "But I did make it. And that's the past now. Shall we go to Defence? I don't want to be late."

No one spoke as they waited for Sirius to unfreeze. I felt anticipation curl in my stomach. I hoped Sirius wouldn't do anything stupid.

It took a moment longer, but he unfroze and wrapped his arms around me, before dropping a kiss into my hair and holding me tight. "Don't do that. Don't hide stuff. We're your friends. We need to know if someone is threatening you, so we can help protect you. Okay?"

"Okay," I whispered into his chest. We held each other for a moment more then he released me and darted up the steps, glancing back with a flirtatious grin. "Are you coming?"

I grinned and gave chase.

We arrived at the Defence classroom breathing deeply. I caught Sirius just before he touched the door and tossed him into a wall with a grin, before I stalked forwards. We stood close enough to press our bodies against each other.

We stood close enough to kiss.

He grinned and leant forwards until his hair touched my face. "Well?" he whispered. "Aren't you going to claim your prize, Miss White?"

Before I could reach up and kiss him, Grey's voice interrupted us with a snort. "Ten points from Gryffindor for forcing me to watch this disgusting scene. Now inside."

We stepped apart, blushing, and I glanced at Cara who was watching us with a wry grin on her face. She winked at me as we stepped inside the classroom.

The Slytherins (again) were already seated inside. Bellatrix shot me a dark look and leant across to whisper something to her sister, who laughed cruelly. Flushing, I slid into the remaining seat, between Lily and Sirius, right under Grey's nose.

"Now we are all here and we are no longer… procrastinating, I believe a seating plan is in order. Just to stop you all from being… distracted, of course," he added, looking directly at me. "So, let's have Bryon and Pettigrew; Bellatrix Black and Sirius Black; Narcissa Black with Evans; Snape with Potter; Jugson and Prewitt; Crabbe and Longbottom, Goyle with Lupin; Parkinson with Cara White; Zabini with Richards and that leaves… Malfoy with Rose White. Come on, we don't have all day." When no one moved, he simply barked, "Move it!"

I dragged myself out of my chair and plonked myself down beside Malfoy with a barely suppressed sigh of disgust. He grinned at Bellatrix and gave me a condescending look, before pulling his things out of his bag and ignoring me. Across the aisle, Sirius glared at Bellatrix and Cara gave me a commiserating look.

This would be fun.

Not.

"Now, can anyone tell me what the definition of a counter-jinx is?" Grey asked. When no one moved again, I sighed and raised my hand. Cara grinned at me; jinxes and counter-jinxes were my speciality.

"Miss White?"

"A counter-jinx is a spell where the primary effect is to inhibit, remove or negate the effects of a jinx."

"Correct," he said, giving me a slimy glare. Then he moved on with the lecture. "Now, counter-jinxes have many drawbacks and disadvantages. To completely remove said jinx, the counter-jinx must be perfectly performed, else some or all of the jinx will remain, and may even change properties and cause severe consequences. Today we will be working on the counter to the Densaugeo spell, which causes teeth to grow at an alarming rate. The counter to this is Inenormis Quantitius. Repeat after me, please."

The class chanted together, "Inenormis Quantitius."

"Begin."

I glanced at Malfoy as he pulled out his wand. I smiled dryly. "I suppose you are going to jinx me?"

He grinned slyly. "Naturally." Then he pointed his wand at me and said, "Densaugeo."

My teeth jerked and began to grow in size. I lifted my wand and, while I could still speak, said, "Inenormis Quantitius."

The spell stopped and then my teeth slowly began to return to their normal size. Malfoy looked at me with respect in his eyes. Then I jinxed him and he began to struggle with his own teeth.

I turned to check how my friends were doing. Cara was watching with no little amusement as Polly Parkinson was struggling with her rapidly growing teeth, and winked at me. James was still shrinking his teeth, Peter's couldn't stop growing, and Remus too was unoccupied. Sirius and Bellatrix were glaring at each other, both holding their wands pointed at the others face. Neither was moving, or cursing.

I frowned. What was going on…? Then I understood. Neither was letting the other jinx them, so much so that if either of them moved they would undoubtedly end up on the floor. With a sigh, I rolled my eyes and ignored them, returning to find Malfoy's teeth on the floor. Sighing again, I performed the counter-jinx and returned them to their normal size.

He blushed and muttered, "Cheers." Then I jinxed him again and said simply, "Keep trying."

This time, I watched him closely so that when I realised what he was doing wrong I cancelled the spell and explained, "You're saying it wrong. It's _In_enormis, not _Un_enormis."

He nodded, I jinxed him again, and this time he got it right. I congratulated him as Grey came up.

"Very well done, Mr Malfoy. Five points to Slytherin." Then he turned away. I stared at him, outraged, but James shook his head at me and mouthed, "It's not worth it."

"Now, Mr Black, Miss Black, what _are_ you doing?" The two glared at him mutinously. "Oh dear. Detention for both of you for not complying with my instructions and if you do not cancel the spell I am about to perform on you then it shall be a week's worth." Then, silently, he pointed his wand at them both and cast a hex at them.

I recognised it instantly as a choking curse, and both Cara and I jumped to our feet. She pointed her wand at Bellatrix and I pointed mine at Sirius and together we said, "Finite Incantatum!"

Then we turned, seething, to look at Grey. Cara spat at him, "A _choking_ curse? Sir, how could you?"

He glared at both of us. "You two shall be joining them in detention. Now sit down and _don't question me again_. Or else a choking curse will be the least of your worries."

Angrily, I sat down and for the rest of the lesson all I did was glare at him. As the bell rung, I stormed out into the corridor.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten – Cara**

**Detention and Revenge**

I was fuming at Grey. I stormed out, following Rose, with the boys close behind. We went down to the Great Hall in silence; we were too angry to talk. I sat down, busy plotting how to get back at him for it. Well, I could turn his room into a swamp… that might work, and we could see how long it took him to remove it. I could tell the others later – that would be hilarious.

I looked down at my untouched plate and glanced at Rose, who hadn't eaten yet either. I was worried about her. Bellatrix mentioning stabbing had really messed with her. I heard her screaming at night so I knew despite what she told me she was far from fine. There has to be a way to help her; I just need to find out what it is.

"Girls, you should eat something," Remus said, his voice full of concern. The others nodded in agreement and Sirius pulled Rose closer, wrapping his arms around her.

"Eat, Rose, you haven't had anything since breakfast." He spoke softly, but he sounded worried.

"I'm not hungry, Sirius. Just leave it." He looked hurt for a moment before he spoke again.

"Please, Rose. For me." He spoke so quietly I barely heard him. But it made Rose look up and take a mouthful of her dinner. Sirius and I relaxed slightly at this. Seeing that she was eating, I began to eat my own food. After a few seconds the boys relaxed and started talking among themselves. Rose and I ate in silence watching the boys laugh and joke. About half an hour later we all stood up to leave.

After all, we had detention to get to.

Walking along the silent corridors was strangely creepy. When we reached the defence corridor, James and Peter gave us small smiles before walking away. Remus waited with us and gave me a small hug when Bellatrix appeared, glaring at us. Grey appeared moments later and Remus left, with one last look back. We walked into the room behind Grey and Bellatrix. Rose, who had turned a ghostly shade of white when Bellatrix appeared, was holding tightly on to both mine and Sirius' hand. Grey turned to face us an evil glint in his eye.

"Miss Black, you will sit over there," he said, pointing to the seat furthest left in the second row. "And you, Miss White, can sit in front of her." He'd pointed at me when he spoke. It looked like I was sitting by the sick twisted cow. Well, at least Rose wasn't sat by her. I walked over to the seat and glared at Bellatrix. This was going to be hell. Grey then sat Rose on the far right side at the front with Sirius behind her. They would be okay sat away from her. Rose looked marginally better now she was away from her. She gave me a small smile to show she was okay. I smiled back reassuringly; I wanted her to know that I was okay too.

I looked over at Sirius, who was glaring at Bellatrix. The look he gave her was full of disgust and loathing. If looks could kill – well, she'd dead in a heartbeat. Grey gave us all a satisfied look and set us a hundred lines of 'I will not disobey the Professors'. He sat at his desk with a satisfied smile and watched us work, while we hurried to get it done. I was halfway through my 63rd line when Slughorn came in and asked to have a word with Grey. Grey stood up and glared around at us.

"If you so much as look at someone you will all be in detention until Christmas." With that he swept out of the room, following Slughorn. I bent down and carried on writing. I finished the line I was on a started the next before anything happened, but it appeared Bellatrix was willing to risk detention till Christmas to get at us.

I felt a sharp jab in my back as she leaned closer to me. I didn't know what to do; I couldn't give her the reaction she wanted no matter how much I wanted to. I took a deep breath and carried on writing. I wasn't going to let her know she'd got to me.

"Tell your sister I'm watching you and sooner or later you won't have those boys protecting you. And that's when you should watch yourselves," she whispered and I knew that it was no empty threat. I resisted the urge to snap back. She couldn't know that her words had me worried, but I knew that she would never hurt Rose – I wouldn't let her. It didn't matter what she did to me as long as she didn't get to Rose.

I carried on writing to stop myself from cursing her.

Grey came back into the room and looked around at us. He seemed to think we hadn't spoken or moved, but clearly he was wrong. I finished the rest of my lines and waited for him to let us go. When he finally let us all out, it was about nine o'clock – we'd been in there for two horrendous hours. Bellatrix walked passed us with an evil look.

"Watch your backs, girls," she called behind her, before walking down towards the dungeons. I put an arm around Rose as we started up the stairs. She leaned her head on my shoulder as Sirius held her hand. She looked at me and smiled. I was going to make her happy again if it killed me. I thought of how I could do it.

"Guys, you know… I think I have a way to get back at Grey," I said, grinning slightly.

"Really, how?" Sirius asked, instantly brighter. I laughed and saw that Rose had relaxed and was smiling more brightly.

"Okay, well, I thought we could turn his room into a swamp. What do you think?" I asked looking around the deserted corridor. No one had heard us, it was okay.

"That, Cara, is bloody brilliant!" Rose exclaimed happily. I was glad to have cheered her up. Sirius was grinning madly and started hurrying so we could tell the others and decide when to do it. I laughed at the ease of it. We reached the common room but James, Peter and Remus weren't in there.

"Must be in the dormitory; I'll go get them," Sirius said running up the stairs. When he left I looked around at Rose, who seemed much happier now. I couldn't tell her what Bellatrix had said; it would just hurt her and I couldn't do that. Just then, I remembered that Sirius had kind of kissed her.

"So, you and Sirius, what's happening with that?" I asked. She blushed scarlet.

"I don't know. We almost kissed, but…" she trailed off. It was sweet. I went to reply but the boys came down. Sirius went straight towards Rose. He put an arm around her and kissed her head. It was a good sign and from the look on her face Rose knew it. Remus came and sat down next to me. I snuggled up to him and his arm snaked around me. James and Peter laughed and sat in the two armchairs.

"So what's all this about?" James asked after a minute. I grinned and told them the plan. We spent the rest of the evening planning how to do it, evil grins on all of our faces. Revenge _was_ sweet.

We went up to bed at about eleven with the plan made. I fell into bed, grinning; now all we had to do was to get back at Bellatrix. I looked over at Rose who was happily brushing her hair. Sirius was good for her. She flopped into her bed and grinned over at me. Within moments we were both asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – Rose**

**Playing the Game**

It wasn't until breakfast the next morning that I really realised what Bellatrix had been saying.

Oh, don't get me wrong, it freaked me out and I realised she had to know about me being stabbed… but the realisation hit me as I entered the Great Hall and saw her and Sirius yelling at each other in the middle of the room. She didn't just know that I had been stabbed – which, while being uncommon knowledge, was no secret – she knew exactly where I had been stabbed. Which meant that either she had been there… Or the person who did it had told her.

Which meant she was a Death Eater.

Damn her.

"You leave her alone," Sirius was yelling at her. "I don't care who you think you are, Bella; she doesn't deserve to be taunted like that."

Bellatrix laughed and threw her head back. "She doesn't need you to protect her, _cousin_. She's perfectly capable of protecting herself."

Before anything else could happen, I marched down the aisle between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables to join them. "Enough," I declared, glaring at Bellatrix. "Come on, Sirius. Just leave her. She's not worth it." With that I grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the Gryffindor table and our friends.

He was growling in frustration as she yelled to our retreating backs, "He's waiting, Miss White. And he wants what you stole."

I met Cara's eyes as we both froze. Together, we spun to look at her and stepped forwards as we spoke in unison, "We are not the thieves. It was not his to take. It has always belonged to us."

She laughed. "That's not what he thinks, and he is always right. We'll see, now, won't we?"

I grimaced as she sat down, automatically reaching around and touching the scar that would always be on my back. Cara placed her hand on my arm and whispered, "Don't let her get to you. We have done nothing wrong."

I looked at her and knew she could read the fear in my eyes. "Ca, he'll come after us again, won't her?"

The four boys joined us as I whispered that, and Cara looked down. "Yes," she told me truthfully.

For a moment I thought I might collapse and the world seemed to spin around me. But then I met Sirius' grey eyes and I was anchored again. I took a deep breath and spoke with conviction, saying, "Well, this time we'll be ready."

Then Cara and I exchanged a vicious grin and went to eat breakfast.

As they boys surrounded us, James asked curiously, "Do we want to know what that was about?"

Cara said, "No," with a certainty that shocked me. I sighed as I looked at her.

"They're going to have to know eventually. It will put them in danger," I pointed out.

"It'll put them in more danger if they know," Cara disagreed.

I decided a compromise was best. "They don't have to know everything, just enough to protect themselves. Besides, we're the only two living people who know where it is, and I wouldn't spread it out by telling them. I'm not stupid, you know."

"Well," she muttered nastily, "The jury is still out on that one."

I rolled my eyes at her. Then I turned to the boys and said, "I think we need a Marauders meeting tonight."

The boys exchanged glances and James said, "Alright. We'll meet an hour before curfew. Sirius, will you show Rose where to go? Remus, will you show Cara?"

The boys agreed and we took off to our first lesson, Herbology, with the Slytherins. To be honest, it was actually quite fun, despite having to be in a room with Bellatrix Black. Sirius worked with me and we pretty much worked in unison, not needing to ask for whatever we needed before the other provided us with it. It was pretty impressive for two people who had met a couple of days before. But in many ways, I knew Sirius. I recognised him; he had had a childhood from hell and was struggling to be the only good Black in a sea of evil ones, just like Cara and I had always resisted joining Voldemort and his followers, and ended up doing something that – excuse the expression – hit him where it hurt. Plus, he was really good at flirting.

But the most amusing thing was watching Cara and Remus. They kept bumping into each other and blushing, and when they were working they shot sidelong glances at each other. It was kind of sweet, except when they knocked each other into a large plantation of Venomous Tentacula and it took us almost half an hour to free them. Needless to say, they then got sent to the Hospital Wing, accompanied by a laughing James. Peter, Sirius and I exchanged wicked grins.

"Those two are perfect for each other," I mused as I pruned the Fanged Geranium and it tried to eat me. I scolded it with a sigh, and glanced at the two amused boys beside me. "What, don't you agree?"

"Of course we do," Peter said. "But with Remus' 'furry little problem' he just doesn't relate to girls well. He's afraid of hurting them."

"Oh," Sirius added, "And he thinks he's a monster."

"What?" I asked, my voice too loud for the quiet greenhouse. Everyone turned to look at me and I blushed, lowering my voice to a whisper. "How can he think that?"

Sirius and Peter exchanged looks, then Sirius explained, "He always has. He thought we would abandon him the moment we found out; the same way people have his entire life. The Wizarding world-"

"Hates people like him," I finished, staring absently out of the greenhouse. I stayed that way for a long moment before the Fanged Geranium grabbed me from behind and I swore loudly, turning to attack it with the pruning shears.

"Fuck," I spat, glaring at the plant. "That hurt."

Sirius roared with laughter. I glared at him until he wrapped his arms around my waist, still laughing, and kissed my forehead, still laughing quietly. Needless to say, I forgave him. I think I may have fallen for him… already.

After Herbology, we were rejoined by my sister and the other two Marauders to go to Charms. Cara and Remus were both covered in spots and looked quite sorry for themselves. James was still laughing at them.

Professor Flitwick was easily the smallest man I had ever met. He began the class with a lecture on the importance of NEWTs and then set us off working on the Silencing Charm.

Around our table, with ravens cawing and frogs croaking, the six of us set off, lifting our wands and saying, "Silencio."

Cara and I had to try it twice before we got it because, while we had worked on a variation of the silencing charm before, we had never actually tried it out. Sirius glanced at us to see our ravens silently opening and closing their beaks and rolled his eyes. "Is there a class that the two of you actually struggle at?"

We exchanged glances. "I suck at Divination," I told him.

Cara grinned. "I am awful with Arithmancy," she provided.

He rolled his eyes. "So is there any class that actually matters that you suck at?"

We gave him identical, naughty smiles. "No," we said, "Of course not."

Sometimes, I love being a twin. Sirius sighed and wrapped his arm around my waist, pointing his wand and trying again. "Why can't I do it?" he asked, frustrated.

"Here," I said, putting my hand over his. "It's not a wave, but more of a sharp jab. Try again."

Again, he muttered the charm, this time jabbing with his wand. The bird's beak moved open and closed, but no sound came out. He grinned and kissed my cheek. "What would I do without you?"

"I don't know," I told him, observing the boys with a wry glance. "I don't know how you survived this long."

"Very good, Mr Black and Miss and Miss White," Professor Flitwick said, standing on a chair to see over our desk. "Now, Mr Pettigrew, can we see you try?"

Peter looked worried for a moment, then picked up his wand, jabbing it and muttered, "Silencio." He closed his eyes as he waited for an explosion that wouldn't happen, or the next caw. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes in awe. "I did it!"

"Very good, Mr Pettigrew," Flitwick said, and moved away.

I smiled at Peter. "All you need is confidence, Pete, and you'll do fine. It's not as hard as you make it out to be. You just have to believe you can do it."

He smiled back at me, but said, "Well, that's fine for you to say, but when I can hardly do a simple summoning charm then I'm in trouble."

I cocked my head. "If you want tutoring, Pete, I'm willing to help any time. But you might want to ask Cara; she's normally better at charms than me."

The girl in question laughed and looked at me. "Trying to be modest, are we?"

I smiled back. "Always."

Then the bell rang and we walked down the stairs to visit the Great Hall for lunch. I was looking forward to sitting and planning our next prank (the toilet one or the swamp), but sometimes, things never go as planned.

As we took our seats, lunch appeared on all of the four house tables. But in front of Cara and me, the food, well… it wasn't food at all.

Piles of bloody human body parts appeared in front of us. With a scream, Cara jumped back, and the entire hall erupted. I didn't move.

Where there should have been a large piece of meat to carve, there was instead a head. The skin was pale and blue, very obviously dead. It had wavy brown hair and a straight nose, with full lips. Julian's eyes stared out of it right at me.

I was frozen, staring at my brother's detached head, for a long moment. The hall was filled with screams and shouts, but a bubble seemed to exist around me where I was untouched by it all. I reached out and stroked my brother's blood covered face, then looked straight across the hall into Bellatrix's eyes. She smiled as her voice echoed in my ears, saying, "The Dark Lord wants his possession back, or he will keep sending you presents."

We locked gazes and neither of us moved as the seconds ticked by. Then Dumbledore's hand was on mine and the connection between us broke. He pulled me away from the table and pushed me towards Sirius. I wobbled for a moment, barely able to find the strength to stand, before I collapsed.

Sirius caught me before I could hit the floor, and his eyes were the last thing I saw before I blacked out.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve – Cara**

**Eternity**

I could hear the gut wrenching scream coming from me but I couldn't stop it. I was aware that everyone was watching but I was almost detached from it. All I could see was Julian's head lying on the table. The look of terror etched on his cold, blue face broke my heart. I stared at his bloody, battered, broken body and cried. Who would do that to him? I knew who, and I knew despite what Remus had said his death was my fault. Rose and I, we caused this. I felt someone tugging my hand but I was unable to move, unable to leave him.

"CARA! You can't stay here, come on. We need to go!" a familiar voice was saying. I tried to move but I couldn't. I finally managed to take a step when I collapsed in a heap. I stayed down on the floor sobbing until a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me up.

"Cara, please, you have to come with me, _please_!" It was Remus. His arms were around me and I was sobbing against his chest now. "Please, Rose needs you." He finished speaking and watched me. When he mentioned Rose I knew I had to go with him. I took a deep breath and, with every ounce of strength I had left in me, I followed him to the hospital wing.

When we got there I collapsed into a seat next to Rose, who had passed out and was now lying on a bed. Madam Pomfrey came and checked me over, she said I was just in shock but otherwise I was fine. Everything was still almost fuzzy, like it wasn't real. I wished so much that it was just a nightmare but I knew in my heart it really had happened and all for the sake of a family heirloom. They had all died because we'd been stupid. I looked at Rose's unconscious form and decided that no matter what I was going to keep her safe. We needed to sort this and I didn't know how the hell we could do that when all I could see was Julian's little face, battered and broken on the table.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rose woke up. She looked haunted and as though she had been dragged through hell and back. I knew how she felt because I felt the same way. I was feeling more stable now, more real. The world had stopped spinning and the fuzziness was gone. Rose was starting to sit up, but she was almost as pale as Julian had been. Sirius was holding on to her hand, looking worried. She didn't seem to notice him though. She looked around unseeingly until our eyes met. She stared at me for a moment before mouthing a single word.

"_Bellatrix_."

That one word made something snap inside. I moved away, running out of the hospital wing and down towards the dungeons. I didn't know where exactly the Slytherin common room was, but I was going to find her and this was my best bet. Dumbledore had cancelled the rest of today's classes and sent everyone back to their common rooms, so I knew she would be there. As I reached the staircase leading to the dungeons, I ran straight into Bellatrix.

"You're an evil little bitch," I yelled pulling out my wand and pinning her against the nearby wall. "How dare you touch him? How dare you taunt my sister?" I was screaming in her face now, as she cowered slightly. Behind us voices were yelling, telling me to stop, but I ignored them. I reached to curse her when I was grabbed and pulled away by Remus. He'd followed me down and was trying to stop me doing something stupid, but right then all I wanted was to get to Bellatrix to hurt her for what she'd done.

I fought Remus but he just held on; after a few minutes I lost the little strength I'd still had left. With a cry of frustration I slumped in to his arms. His grip loosened and he just held me. I crashed to the floor and he sat down just holding me. It felt nice but I didn't deserve his kindness, not after everything that had happen because of me and Rose. Bellatrix had disappeared when I next looked, and I was glad. Not because I didn't want to kill her, but because I needed to help Rose and sort this mess out and killing her, satisfying as it would be, was not the way to do that.

"Can we go back to Rose?" I asked Remus after a few long minutes of silence. My voice was small and raspy after shouting at Bellatrix.

"Of course we can, sweetie. Come on," he answered me and I could hear the concern in his voice. I stood up with his help and he wrapped an arm around my waist. I leaned into him as we walked back to the hospital wing. I looked at him for the first time in hours and saw how scared and worried he looked. It was all my fault that he was like that, another pointless thing I'd caused.

"I'm sorry Remus, I'm so, so sorry," I said quietly, needing him to tell me it was okay even though I knew it wasn't.

"It's not your fault, Ca; you don't need to be sorry." His voice was soft and he stopped to look at me. "You have done nothing wrong. Don't apologise to me for what some sick, twisted people did to hurt you." He bent down and kissed me softly before pulling me through the doors to see a frantic Rose asking why Remus hadn't brought me back yet.

"Where are they? He promised he wouldn't let her do anything stupid," Rose was asking Sirius repeatedly. We walked in and, seeing us, she flew at me. We hugged and I promised I had not done anything stupid – thanks to Remus. Feeling somewhat better the boys started to lead us out.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, but the boys just smiled. We walked through to the seventh floor corridor. There were no rooms or people but as we got there a door appeared.

"Welcome to the meeting place of the marauders," Sirius said with a bow.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Rose**

**The Truth – or Parts of It**

"What do you mean 'the meeting place of the marauders'?" I asked, tentatively. I still felt strange, detached. Everything around me blurred in and out of focus as I struggled to concentrate.

Sirius simply smiled and said, "You'll see." Then he opened the door and ushered us inside.

The room was set up as a kind of flat. The room we entered into was a living room-type place, with a warm fire burning in the fireplace and sofas and armchairs placed strategically around it. There were doors leading off of it, which Remus explained to be a kitchen, two bathrooms and four different bedrooms.

"Welcome," Sirius said grandly, "To the Room of Requirement." At our looks of confusion, he explained, "It's a room that provides whatever the users most require. Like, we needed our hangout and it appeared."

"So if you needed the toilet…?" Cara asked.

"Crude," James muttered, "But yes, that is the general idea."

Sirius took my hand and led me over to the sofa. The room was painted red, with wooden floors, but soft red and gold rugs placed over the top. The whole place screamed Gryffindor.

James noticed me staring around at the Gryffindor banners. "Yeah, Sirius opened it this time so it's a bit over the top in decorations."

"If you think this is bad," Peter muttered, "You should see our dorm room."

Cara glanced at me with a smile, expecting me to say something funny. I blinked at her twice and dragged up from somewhere in my mind, "Was that an invitation, Pete?"

The words were correct, and the boys laughed, but Cara and I both knew something was wrong. Unfortunately, it was me.

I was wrong.

I swallowed, sitting down suddenly. I blinked again, trying to focus as the boys and Cara joined me. Sirius put his arm around me almost automatically.

"So, what do you have to tell us?" Remus asked, pulling Cara into his lap with a smile.

I tensed. Sirius glanced at me, a frown of worry etched into his face. "Rose? Something you want to share?"

I blinked again and, slowly, opened my mouth to speak. When the words came out, they sounded hoarse and weak. "Bellatrix was right; we stole something from Voldemort."

"Well, not stole exactly," Cara muttered. "It's family heirloom. It belongs to us first."

I smiled wanly. "That's not the most persuasive argument ever, Ca. He didn't agree and neither do I."

She frowned. "It _was_."

"_What_ was?" James asked, exasperated.

I looked down. "The reason Voldemort is so powerful is that… Oh, you see, he's immortal."

"But not naturally. The only reason he is immortal is that he has split his soul into pieces," Cara added. The four boys had identical looks of shock and horror on their faces.

"To store the parts of his soul, he has to put them into objects. These can be animate or inanimate, but it is usually easier if the object can't think for itself – or die. They are called horcruxes," I explained.

Cara continued, "I suppose we started the story wrong. We should go back to our parents' generation and explain; their parents and their siblings were all avid supporters of Voldemort. And they kept the famed cup of Hufflepuff, a family heirloom."

"You're related to Hufflepuff?" Remus interjected.

I glanced at my sister's boyfriend (or soon to be), amused. "We're the Whites. We are related to every pure blood family, including Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and – unfortunately – Slytherin."

"So you're related to Voldemort, then," Sirius said.

I looked down at my hands. "Distantly," I said softly. "But… well, our family was close to him. They loved him. Worshipped him. So… he is our godfather. We are supposed to be his wards now our parents are dead."

Unable to bring myself to speak any more, Cara took over the telling of our story. "Tom Riddle turned the cup into a horcrux. And then he placed it with us to look after, or our parents at that. They didn't know what it was."

I looked up, my eyes full of tears. "Our parents were _good_ people," I insisted. "They had been brought up believing in pure-blood dominance. They didn't know any better. They didn't know how evil Tom was – is. They didn't know what the cup was."

Sirius pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear, "We know, we understand."

I sobbed.

"But we did," Cara continued steadily. She wasn't going to let herself break, like me. She'd always been the strong one. The steady one. I would have been destroyed by now if it weren't for her. "We knew by looking at it what it was. And so…"

"We took it," I whispered. "We tried to destroy it, and when we failed we hid it away in the one place he could never get into. And it will remain there until we know how to destroy it and so render him vulnerable again."

Silence fell as we all struggled with what had been revealed. Finally, Cara spoke up again. "We understand if you wish nothing more to do with us. It is dangerous, being around us. Especially since Tom will be coming back for us."

I snorted. "For the cup."

Cara sighed and stared at me. "Rose, for Merlin's sake, just admit it. He's coming back _for you_. Yeah, he wants the cup, but he wants you more."

I shook my head and stared away from her. "I mean nothing to him. You-"

She snorted. "You mean everything to him. He has always been obsessed with you."

I grunted, unable to admit it. "Cara-"

She stood up and began to pace back and forth. "Fucking hell, Rose! I know it's difficult, and I know it's scary, and I know it's horrible, but you have to accept it! He is obsessed with you! He wants you! Not me, _you_. It's always been you!"

I stood up like a shot. "He doesn't want me! He doesn't understand. Besides, you're a seer! And a potions master! You would be more useful to him-"

"It's not about being _useful_!" she screamed at me. I took a step back, shocked. In our entire lives, Cara had never screamed at me. Not like that. Calmer, she repeated, "It's not about being useful. It's about a man wanting a woman, Rose, and if you can't admit that to yourself you are going to be in trouble."

I shook my head briefly, my hands shaking. Numbly, I said, "I can't admit that because it would make it real."

Cara looked at me sympathetically. "I know."

"A man like that is not capable of love," I whispered. "It's obsession. It has always been an obsession."

Finally, Sirius spoke up. "What- what exactly are you two going on about?"

Remus chimed in, "Wait, you're a _seer_?"

James and Peter looked between the two of us but said nothing.

Shaking slightly, I walked towards the fire and stared in. For a long moment, nobody spoke, before I reached up and took the chain from around my neck and showed them the green and silver ring on the end. "This is my betrothal ring. I was promised to him at birth and on my twelfth birthday – as is traditional – I was married to Tom Riddle, the man you know as Lord Voldemort."

This declaration was met with silence. Sudden anxiety twisted in my stomach as I turned to them. "I never consented to it," I spat. "I never agreed. I didn't _want_ this!" Shaking, I looked at Cara. "I am my own person. I don't belong to him!"

She met my eyes steadily. "Rose, it happened. Now all you have to do is destroy him and you can live happily ever after."

I choked on a sob for a moment, then turned back to the flames, replacing the chain. "Wizarding marriages are for life. There is no divorce."

"Then we'll just have to kill him," Sirius said, his voice steady and strong. I heard him stand up and felt his hands on my shoulders behind me. "Everything will turn out alright, Rose."

For a moment, I relaxed into his hold and believed the boy standing behind me, that one day my life would be my own again. Then that thing called reality hit me and I pulled away.

"Cara is a seer. She has visions in her sleep," I explained in a low voice. "And from a young age she has been able to perfectly make any potion on her first try. She is a gifted witch. Protect her, for she will be useful in the long run." This I directed at Remus, who nodded gravely. Then I turned to my sister. "Cara, I want you to remove the knowledge of where the horcrux is from my mind."

She hesitated. "Rose… I don't know. What if I die?"

"Then the knowledge must die with you," I told her steadily. "Or until you pass it on to another trusted person. But it cannot remain within me. My position is… tenuous. Please, Ca."

Shaking, she stepped forwards and placed her wand to my temple. Then, under her breath, she whispered, "Obliviate."

A white fuzzy blanket fell down around my mind, and then disappeared, leaving everything as it should be. Except… I was missing a portion of my memories. I knew what the memories would have been, at least.

Then I raised my gaze to the four boys and one girl watching me and said, "If you will excuse me, I must- I must leave."

Then I left the room, hurrying up to my dormitory and fighting back tears.

My secret was out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen – Cara**

**Making Friends**

I let Rose go; she needed space. I wanted nothing more than to run after her, to apologise for screaming at her, but the boys would have questions and I couldn't just leave them.

"Guys, I'm sorry. We never wanted you to get dragged into this mess and if you want nothing more to do with us we'll understand," I said slowly, looking at them all. I could feel tears forming in my eyes as I spoke. The thought of losing the only friends we had ever had was killing me, but as much as I wanted them around I wanted them safe much more. I knew Rose would feel the same way. She never wanted anyone to get hurt for her. I guess I was the same, though, while I hated the idea of anyone getting hurt for me, I'd die to protect anyone I loved or cared about. If I could I'd have taken Julian's place – I would have in an instant – or even mum or dad's place. I would have done anything to save them.

"Ca, I don't care what you've done or who wants to hurt you; I'm not going anywhere. You can't scare me off that easily," Remus said softly, coming over to where I now stood alone and wrapping his arms around me. "You're not alone; you'll always have me. No matter what," he whispered so only I could hear. He let go and pulled me back down to sit on his lap once more. Sirius was looking worriedly at the door as if he wanted nothing more than to follow Rose.

"She'll be fine; she just needs some space. This is hard on her. She's been forced to accept it and that's not easy. Give her a few more minutes okay?" I spoke softly, mainly as I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but Rose needed some space; this was harder on her than it was on me.

"Okay, and for the record, there is no way in hell you two are getting rid of me." He sounded more normal now and even managed a small grin. James looked at Peter and nodded. Peter looked worried, but nodded back.

"Looks like you're stuck with us, like it or not. Bet you didn't see that coming, seer girl," James said. I smiled at his lame joke, but it seemed to ease the tension that had formed at our confession. I looked around at the boys and felt lighter than I had in months. We weren't keeping anything secret now and we still had the marauders.

"Thank you. It means a lot to know we have you on our side," I whispered, so softly I thought they might not hear, but they heard and smiled at me.

"What are friends for?" James asked, before going, "Now can we please go down to dinner? I didn't get any lunch and I'm bloody starving." The boys laughed and grinned. I looked at him incredulously.

"You think about food at a time like this?"

"Well, it is dinner time, Cara," he said, as if that explained everything. I stared at him for a moment before turning to Remus.

"Is he being serious?" I asked. Food was the last thing on my mind; how could he be thinking about eating?

"I think you'll find I'm Sirius; he's James. Really, Cara, don't you know our names yet?" Sirius teased with a grin. I laughed and we stood up. Remus grabbed my hand and held me back as the others left. When they had all left he faced me. My heart started beating faster as I wondered if he would kiss me again.

"Cara, you are the most amazing person I have ever met and I wanted to ask you something. Will you go out with me on Friday night?" he looked me right in the eyes as he spoke, but I could tell he was nervous. I looked in to his gorgeous brown eyes and saw my own scared face looking back.

"Remus, I want nothing more than to go out with you on Friday." I reached on tiptoes as I spoke and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and my arms snaked round his neck as the kiss deepened. It may have lasted seconds or days but all I could think was that it was amazing and I didn't want it to end. But of course it did. Sirius, James and Peter came back in looking for us. Damn. Why did they have to come in then?

"Are you coming to dinner or what?" Sirius asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. I looked at him sheepishly and nodded. We all left the room (this time) and walked to the Great Hall. We were halfway there when Rose appeared. I gave her a smile as Sirius grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. He whispered something to her so quietly I couldn't hear but whatever it was it made her smile.  
We reached the Great Hall and the boys walked in. Rose and I stopped outside, staring. I couldn't go in there; not after lunch – never again. I knew Rose felt the same. Looking at the floor, I spoke.

"Library?" Rose nodded and together we made our way up to the library. When we got there, we sat down, unsure of what to do. I remembered we had an essay for charms and transfiguration to do, so I pulled my work out and began the transfiguration essay on vanishing spells. Rose quickly did the same and together we worked in silence. After a while, Lily Evans came in and sat down at our table.

"Hi," she said shyly. "I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day and I just wanted to tell you that I'd quite like to make friends with you."

"We did, didn't we? It's our fault really; we didn't even try. Sorry," I said quietly.

"Hey, we'll make more of an effort from now on. After all, we flower girls have got to stick together," Rose teased with a smile. We got back to work, chatting with a relaxed ease. When we finally finished we walked back to the common room to see the boys.

Once we got there, Sirius and Remus were in the middle of a game of chess. I walked over to watch them and Rose ran off to get her own set to play with Lily. We started a tournament, one that ended up lasting all night. Lily fitted in with us perfectly, but she made to leave as soon as the tournament was over.

"I'll see you guys in the morning; I'm going to bed," she called over her shoulder.

"Night," we all called, before turning to face each other. With Lily gone the tension was unbearable. It was as if an elephant was sat in the room with us. We sat in silence for a nearly five minutes before Rose finally spoke.

"So, how are we turning Grey's office into a swamp?" The boys all shared incredulous looks as she tried to carry on like today had never happened. I wanted nothing more than that. So I launched in to discussion with her over how we could do it.

"Girls, are we going to pretend all that didn't happen?" Remus asked. Rose and I shared a look before nodding and saying in unison, "For now please." That was all they needed and we launched back into the plans. Turning his office into a swamp would be harder than what we were doing to the toilets on Saturday, after all, and no pranks were ever easy to begin with. Most needed careful planning. We spent the night making plans and not once did we mention what had happened. At about two a.m., we went up to bed. We were exhausted but I knew that, like me, Rose was dreading sleep and what would come with it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen – Rose**

**A Chat Between Girls (Alternatively, Memories)**

That night, as I tossed and turned unable to sleep, the unwanted memories reached me. I had been pushing them away for so long that they simply would not submit to me any longer. Instead, they swarmed at me, taking over.

_I was six years old, sitting with my twin in our family's 'parlour'. We were dressed well, and had spent hours being made ready. If we moved one inch, Grandmother had threatened to use the cruciatus curse on her. Although Mother looked upset when she said it, we knew she was serious._

_Just then, the door opened and Cara and I rose gracefully, to curtsey to the young man walking in the door with my father. Tom Riddle stood before us, evaluating us with a steady gaze. He was handsome, I suppose, looking back; he had soft black hair and steady dark eyes, framed with pale skin. On some people, the mixture would make them look fragile; on him, it made him look dangerous._

_He glanced at my father. "Which one is Rose?"_

_Father looked over to me and nodded. "The one with the dark hair."_

_On instinct, I curtseyed again, trying to avoid meeting his gaze. Father had told me about him. He was to be my husband._

I was dragged out of that memory and thrown into another.

_I was twelve years old and wearing a wedding dress. Tom Riddle stood before me and my small hands were enveloped by his. As we spoke the formal words of our marriage, his voice was steady and strong, almost victorious. My voice was barely more than a whisper as I kept my gaze averted from his. I feared this man before me, and I didn't know why exactly._

I barely suppressed a sob as I wrenched my mind away, only to find my worst memory waiting. My fifteenth birthday, just two years ago.

_I stood in front of my husband, staring at the bed that lay before me. His hand stroked my neck and I wanted nothing more than to escape from him._

"_I don't understand," I told him. Even I could hear the fear in my voice._

"_It is simple," he whispered, stepping closer and pressing his body against mine. "Really simple. It's just another ceremony, only this one completes the first. It is not that hard; you don't have to remember lines like the last one."_

"_But…" I swallowed. "Mother said-"_

_His voice shot across my words like lightning across the night's sky. "I am your husband. You obey me."_

_I said no more as he threw me down onto the bed and ripped my robe from my body…_

I jerked out of bed, moving with a mixture of fear and anger to the bathroom. Then I jumped into the shower and began scrubbing my body. The familiar motions soothed me, as if I was scrubbing his touch off of me too.

I heard the door crack open as I was drying off, almost half an hour later. Then Cara's voice reached me, sympathetically saying, "Another nightmare?"

I shrugged, then remembered she couldn't see me. "Not really. Just… bad memories."

"Oh," she said softly. "Are you done?"

"Yeah," I muttered, not looking at her as she left the room. She returned moments later and sat me down on the toilet seat, showing me the salve she held in her hands.

"Let me help you, Rose. I know what you do to yourself in those showers. Just let me-"

I reached out and grabbed the salve from her. "I can do it myself." Then, knowing I sounded bitchy, I grabbed her hand and finally looked up at her, meeting her troubled eyes. I managed a small smile and said softly, "But thanks."

She smiled sadly. "Any time."

Two hours later, we sat around the breakfast table in the Great Hall. The boys had dragged us in and forced us to sit down and eat something. As James had succinctly put it, "Nothing else happened last night, ladies. And you both need to eat something before you waste away."

So we had agreed half-heartedly, and now we sat down, looking apprehensively at the food. Sirius sighed and began to load my plate. When I didn't move to eat any, he loaded my fork, and tried to force feed me. When _that_ didn't work, he ate it himself.

"Look," he told me softly, "All fine. Good, normal food. Just try it, for me?"

He gave me puppy-dog eyes and I broke, taking the fork and filling it up, before placing it in my mouth and chewing for a moment. After I swallowed, I glanced at Cara's pale face.

I smiled and carried on eating.

Then we went off to transfiguration.

Incredibly, nothing strange or bad or sad happened over the next two days. It wasn't until we sat down for lunch on Friday that something _did_ happen, and then it was only Cara leaning over to me and whispering in my ear, "I have a date tonight, with Remus."

I let out a very undignified squeal and hugged her. "Cara! Why didn't you tell me?"

She smiled, but sadly. "You've had so much to deal with since June, and…"

"And," I said insistently, "I will always have time to deal with you." Then I turned to Remus, the smile sliding from my face, and I stood. "I would like a word, Remus."

Then I marched out of the hall, knowing he would follow. I also knew the others would, too, but them I would deal with later. I led Remus down a corridor and into an unused classroom, sitting him down at one of the desks; I stood in front of him and leant across.

"Alright, Mr Lupin," I said softly (and not un-menacingly – I mean, he backed away as if he was afraid of me, so I knew I was doing something right). "My sister means a great deal to me."

He looked nervous and opened his mouth to speak, but I placed my finger to his lips. "You will speak when I tell you to, Mr Lupin. Do you understand?" He nodded, slowly. "Good. Now, my sister means a great deal to me and, from what I understand, you mean a great deal to her. I don't know how you feel about her – I cannot see into your head – but I want you to know something.

"If you ever," I said, leaning forwards so he couldn't help but look me in the eyes, "If you _ever_ hurt my sister you will have me to answer to. And I can assure you, it will not be pleasant. It also may involve things like bone crushing, castration and other pleasant things. Are we clear?"

He swallowed, and then muttered, "Very."

I smiled and relaxed. "Good. I am so glad we have come to an understanding. Shall we return to our friends?"

He looked shocked at my change in tone for a brief moment, then shook it off and smiled back nervously. "Sure."

We walked out and returned to the others, who had been joined by Lily. The others glanced questioningly at Remus' pale face, then at my self-satisfied smirk, before looking back at Remus.

"Everything okay, Moony?" Peter asked, unusually gently for the small boy.

"Everything is absolutely fine," I answered for him. "Remus and I were just having a little chat, that's all."

Sirius burst out laughing as comprehension dawned. Remus flushed red and muttered something under his breath about, 'castration' and 'fun times', before I was caught in Sirius' arms and I couldn't hear Remus anymore as he kissed me.

"So you threatened him, then?" asked Cara, in a long-suffering tone. I broke away from Sirius and smiled at her, then winked at Remus.

"Moony and I were just having a chat about the correct way to treat a woman, weren't we?"

He nodded, his face even redder as the group laughed at him. As we had the afternoon off, I leant over to Lily and whispered, "Cara has a date with Remus tonight. Shall we help her prepare?"

She grinned at me and nodded, then together we turned and grabbed one of Cara's arms each. With a small smile for _my_ boyfriend and our other friends, I said, "If you will excuse us, we need some girl time."

Sirius and James nodded appreciatively as we dragged her away. Remus and Peter look confused, so I shouted back down, "Cara will meet you in the common room at seven o'clock!"

Then Lily and I steered her up to our dorm room, grinning wildly as she protested half-heartedly.

After seating her on her bed, we turned to each other and had a girl-to-girl mental conversation. I swept into the bathroom and began to run a hot bath, while Lily explained to Cara.

"First, you are going to take a long, hot bath and relax. Then, we are going to pamper you – nails, facials, the whole shebang. Then we shall help you choose and outfit and dress and get you ready, and do your make-up and hair. By this time, it should be just about time to meet Remus."

I called from the bathroom, "We only have five and a half hours, so we had better hurry."

Cara gasped and shook her head in confusion. "Why on earth do we need that long?"

Lily grinned at her. "Have you never gone on a date before?" When Cara shook her head, she continued, "Well, clearly your sister has, and at least you have her for experience."

I frowned at her. "I've never been on a date."

She looked at me, confused. "How do you know the ritual then?"

I flushed, realising that I had just dug myself into a hole that I wouldn't be able to escape easily. "I- uh…" I sighed. "I'm kind of married. In a weird way."

"Wait, what?" she asked. "But I thought you and Sirius…"

I waved my hand. "I kind of left my husband."

She blinked. "You- I mean, you're seventeen! Why on earth are you married? Why did you leave him?"

I sighed. "Cara, into the tub." My sister moved off without protesting. "One hour!" I called behind her. Then I looked at Lily and sat down, patting the bed beside me. "Sit down."

She sat.

I sighed. "I was betrothed at birth. My family is a very old one; the oldest, in fact, in the country. When I was twelve, we were married. I was sent to live with him when I turned fifteen." I paused for a moment, before swallowing thickly against the lump in my throat and carrying on. "I stayed with him for two years, before returning to visit my family. This was July. The same time I was visiting, my family were murdered. After that, everything changed. I wasn't forced to return to- to my husband."

"Why didn't you want to go back?" she asked, curiously. "I mean, I understand how young you were and you wanted to be with your sister…"

I sighed. I had never told anyone, not even Cara… "He used to beat me," I explained in barely more than a whisper. "He would beat me and laugh. Call me useless. I was barely more than a child. I didn't know what a wife was meant to do, but I had no one to help me. Mother was trying when she was murdered. After that, I suppose I escaped. The only problem is…"

"Wizarding marriages are for life," she finished with a sigh.

I smiled. "Lily, you are the only person living who know that last bit," I told her, suddenly anxious. "Please-"

"Don't worry," she assured me softly, "I won't tell anyone."

I smiled at my friend. "Now let's get Cara ready for her date."

Just before seven o'clock, Lily and I stood back to admire our work. My beautiful, blonde sister looked chic and classy. She was wearing a dark blue dress (that matched her eyes) that ended just above the knee. It had cap sleeves, along with little beading along the edges. The neckline was low, but not trashy. We had styled her hair up into a chignon with sapphire slips, and provided a pair of strappy, high-heeled sandals. I had learnt from her earlier that she was going into Hogsmeade with Remus for a nice dinner at the Three Broomsticks, so we thought it was appropriate.

I smiled. "You look great."

She smiled back, nervously. "Really? It's not too much?"

"Perfect," Lily assured her. Then she glanced at me. "Shall we?"

We smiled and swung out of the room, trotting down the stairs with self-satisfied smiles on our faces. The four marauders stood as they saw us, and we joined them, pushing Remus forwards with naughty grins. He looked nice, too; like he had actually put effort in. He wore smart black trousers and an ironed white shirt, with a black jacket. No tie, but it looked great.

Cara stepped down the staircase carefully, meeting Remus' gaze only when she was at the bottom. Maybe we should have given her flats, I thought with a sudden flash of worry as I recalled how clumsy she could be…

"Wow," Remus said, breaking into my panic. "You look… incredible."

She smiled, blushing nervously, then took his arm as he led her away.

I watched her go, blinking back tears. I wished I could have had this like her. Instead, I thought bitterly, I got the abusive, evil, freak of a husband. Then I shook myself and smiled at the boys and Lily.

"Well, aren't we masterful?" I asked them with a playful grin. Sirius reached for my hand and pulled me down onto the couch beside him.

"You are the queen of making people look beautiful," he agreed. He wrapped an arm around me and I snuggled into him, sighing happy at the already familiar scent. Lily looked shocked for a moment, before making her excuses and leaving. She kept glancing back.

I sighed as the others looked at me questioningly. "She kind of knows I'm married," I explained in an undertone. I felt Sirius tense beside me; it was the first time I'd mentioned it to them in days.

"How can someone kind of know?" James asked, knowingly.

"She doesn't know who to," I answered. "Now, what are we going to do tonight?"

James and Peter grinned at Sirius. Then Peter said, "Well, James and I have a meeting to get to, so… You two have fun!"

The two of them darted away, leaving a bemused Sirius and a confused me. I sighed and looked up at him. "Well, what are we going to do?"

He grinned, moving me so my head lay in his lap, and leant close, brushing his lips against mine. "How about we take a moonlit stroll in the forest?"

"Sounds romantic," I breathed back. "But isn't that dangerous?"

"Not if we aren't human," he answered.

I grinned and he pulled me from the common room. In a matter of minutes, we were sneaking out of the castle doors and standing before the forest, bathed in moonlight. Sirius reached for me and kissed me gently, then he whispered into my hair, "Can this count as our first date?"

I smiled at him nervously. "If you want it to."

His smile widened. "I would like nothing better." Then he stepped back and changed into a large black dog. I stared at his beautiful form, then whispered, "Just remember, dogs chase foxes," and changed into the little black fox.

I darted into the woods.

Sirius followed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen – Cara**

**A First Date**

We walked down the stairs hand in hand. Every few seconds I glanced up at him and our eyes would meet.

I smiled softly and asked, "So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise!" We walked across the grounds to the whomping willow. Remus enchanted a stick to hit a knot in the base. The branches stopped moving and I was led through a hole in the base. We walked through a tunnel and ended up in a house.

"Welcome, Cara, to the Shrieking Shack."

"We're in the Shrieking Shack? Why's everything broken?"

"Um, well, this is where I transform and I kind of… eat the furniture." He looked embarrassed by this confession. I moved closer and reaching up on my tiptoes to kiss him gently.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that you know," I said softly. I knew he hated what he was but it was part of him and he was different he didn't hurt anyone. "You're not like other werewolves; don't ever be ashamed of who you are." I kissed him again and this time he kissed me back. We drew apart for breath and Remus motioned for us to leave. Outside was a broomstick.

"You'll have to fly; I'm not very good." He smiled sheepishly as he motioned to the broom. "I know you like flying so I thought we could go for a fly around Hogsmeade." I launched at him and covered his face with kisses – it was the most wonderful idea ever.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I yelled, climbing on. He climbed on after me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I smiled at his touch and started to fly. The higher we flew, the tighter Remus clutched me, so I stayed low, sensing his fear. I didn't want him to be scared just because he wanted me to have fun. I flew around the village once then came down. I loved being in the air with the wind on my face, but I couldn't enjoy it with Remus scared. We landed and got off together.

"So, where now?" I asked. It was only early and I was sure he had more planned. He didn't answer me, but grabbed my hand and led me away from the house and towards the little village. We walked down to the Three Broomsticks. He ordered us drinks and we then ordered dinner. He'd reserved a table at the back that was lit by candles. It was so romantic! Through the meal we talked about everything. He asked me more questions and I did the same. By the time we had finished it seemed we knew everything there was to know about each other.

We left the Three Broomsticks and walked back to the Shrieking Shack. When we reached it, music started to play and Remus bowed swiftly and offered me a hand.

"You told me you love to dance, remember?"

"You remembered that?" I asked, surprised, as we began to dance.

"Of course, and over there is a sticky toffee pudding for after, your favourite."

"So that's why you wouldn't let us have dessert?"

"No, Rosmerta can't make puddings."

"Oh, really?"

"Really. Now can we stop talking? Because this is really hard as it is."

I stopped talking and just let the music take me over. Ever since Julian had been murdered I'd stopped dancing. This was the first time in months and I loved every second. We danced for hours under the gleaming moon. Not talking, just dancing. After a while, Remus moved away and just watched me dance. I gave myself to the music completely and it took me over, as I had wanted it to so many times since that day.

When I finally stopped it was gone midnight. Remus just looked at me for what seemed like an eternity.

"That, Cara White, was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life." He came over again and wrapped his arms around me. We sank to the ground and ate the sticky toffee pudding, each feeding the other. We finally decided it was time to go back and made our way back through the house and tunnel. When we were back in the school grounds Remus turned to face me.

"Cara, you make me happier than I have ever been before. I know we've only known each other for a few days but already I can't imagine my life without you. I love you more than words can say and I wanted to know if you would do me the honour of being my girlfriend," he finished and looked down.

"YES, YES, OH MY GOD, YES!" I screamed, jumping at him and kissing him. He spun me round and kissed me again. In a high of love and happiness we made our way back to Gryffindor tower. At the stairs to the girls' dormitories I kissed him goodnight and made my way up to where I knew Rose and Lily would be waiting.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen – Rose**

**The Letter**

It was past midnight as I paced back and forth in the seventh year-girls' dorm. Mary Jane, Alice and Lily watched me. Lily looked sleepy, but the other two looked nervous. They didn't know me as well as Lily did and were assuming I was about to do something violent.

Which I was considering. If that _bastard_ tried anything with my sister…

"Rose, are you trying to put holes in the floor?" an amused voice asked from behind me. I spun around to see my sister standing there, looking flushed and very happy.

Too happy.

I narrowed my eyes at her, but before I could launch into an interrogation, Lily sat up and grinned. "Well? How did it go?"

Cara gave her a dreamy look as she sat down on her bed, pulling off her heels and letting her hair down. "Oh, it was _amazing_. Fantastic!"

"Tell us everything," Alice ordered her. Mary Jane grinned and the three of them looked like they were waiting for good gossip. I sighed and sank down onto my bed to wait.

Cara smiled. "Well, first he took me out to Hogsmeade, to the Shrieking Shack-"

"That doesn't sound very romantic," Mary Jane interjected.

Cara laughed. "It so was. Did you know Remus was afraid of heights?" As the other three shook their heads she continued, "He was so brave. He brought out a broomstick so we could have a moonlit flight, even though he was afraid."

Lily looked like she would melt. "That is so sweet!"

Cara grinned. "And then, we had a candlelit dinner in the Three Broomsticks."

"Aww," came the three girls' responses. I glared at them, but Cara didn't notice.

"And then he brought me back to the Shrieking Shack, and he had set up music. Then we danced for hours, before he brought out my favourite pudding. It was… perfect. The perfect first date."

Lily grinned. "And…?"

Cara grinned back at her. "Yes. He asked me."

Lily jumped up and hugged her. "I knew he was serious about you!"

Cara turned to me and I met her with a steady, serious look. She looked a little shocked, and asked me, "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" I countered. When she looked confused, I asked her, "He didn't try anything, did he?"

Comprehension dawned and she shook her head. "Of course not! He was the perfect gentleman!"

I frowned. "You were out so late… I was worried."

She laughed. "What are you, my mum now?"

I stood up and met her gaze. She was laughing but quickly stopped when she realised I was serious.

"No," I told her softly. "I just don't want you to be hurt." The silent _like I was_ didn't go unnoticed.

She winced. "Remus isn't like that."

"If you're certain," I said. Then I turned away. "We'd better get some rest; we have a NEWT in the morning."

With that, I swung myself into bed.

That morning, Cara and I were up before pretty much anyone, and ate a quiet breakfast before going into a private room and sitting down for the exam. Neither of us had been exactly worried about it, simply because we'd been fluent in reading, writing and speaking these runes since we were nine.

Afterwards, we exited to find the marauders, Lily and Mary Jane waiting for us. I guessed Alice was off somewhere with Frank, and I was shocked to see Peter's arm around Mary Jane's waist. Shocked, but pleased. Peter and Mary Jane were well suited to each other.

Remus stepped forwards and smiled at my sister as she went to him automatically. "How did it go?" he asked her, almost nervously.

"Really well," she told him, and kissed him gently. I withheld my glare and turned to the others with a barely suppressed sigh of disgust.

I didn't know what was wrong with me; I _liked_ Remus. He was a good guy, and Cara obviously cared a lot for him. Why was I behaving like this?

_Remus isn't like Tom_, I told myself. _He would never take advantage of my sister's innocence, not like that._

Sirius smiled at me, but I barely spared him a glance as I glared moodily down the hall.

"Let's go and get some lunch," James suggested as he glanced between his best friend and me worriedly.

"Do you ever stop thinking of your stomach?" Cara asked him, amused.

He grinned wolfishly at her and said, "No."

Cara smiled back and grabbed Remus' hand, before leading us down the staircase to get to the Great Hall. We were settled down before I heard James mutter to Sirius, "What went wrong? I thought you guys had a good night last night."

Then I heard Sirius' gloomy reply, "So did I."

Before I could look at him or say anything, the post owls flew into the school, flocking through the room (at lunch as was traditional on a Saturday since most people slept late). I wasn't expecting any post, so when a large black owl landed in front of me, I was shocked.

I reached out and untied the letter that was attached to the bird's leg, quickly jumping back as it flew off without waiting. I glanced at the envelope and froze as I saw the name on the front.

_To Rose Riddle née White._

"Rose?" Cara asked, alarmed, as I stared at the envelope. "What is it?"

Silently shaking my head, I opened the envelope with shaking hands. I pulled the letter out and unfolded it.

_My Dearest Rose,_

_It has been a long time since we last spoke; too long, I must admit. But now I send you, my wife, this letter, in hope that it finds you in the best of health. I, myself, am also in fine health._

_I expect this to find you at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I expected you to go there, as I was certain you would feel it the safest place for you, and your sister, to reside. Unfortunately you are incorrect. For example, as you read this at least one of your closest friends works for me. In the hall around you, I can say there are at least ten _other_ Death Eaters, and several in training to join us. You are not safe, Rose. You cannot be safe from me._

_Now that I have proved this, I move on to the purpose of my letter; I want you home, Rose. Where you belong. I am angry, of course, that you left me – and stole from me – but I am not an unsympathetic person; I understand why you have done this. In fact, I have decided to be generous. You may have a week to say your goodbyes and sort your state of affairs._

_Next Saturday, at twelve noon, I expect you to meet me at my private estate – you and you alone know the address. I do not expect you to bring the cup, although that would be nice; you are intelligent and undoubtedly you have hidden it where even _you_ cannot find it._

_Come, Rose, or I shall come to you and I shall kill every last man, woman or child who stands in my way._

_Your devoted husband,_

_ Lord Voldemort (Tom Riddle)._

Shaking my head, I looked away from the letter, meeting Cara's eyes. She moved to snatch the parchment, but I brought it away, only to have it snatched from my hand from another source. I turned angrily to see Lily holding it.

Everyone – the four boys and three girls – crowded around her to read it.

My stomach curled in dread.

After a few minutes, Lily slowly lowered the paper to look at me. All seven of their faces were pale. I met Sirius' gaze for a moment before I looked at my sister. Quietly, I said, "Marauders meeting."

Then I walked away from them, hurrying up to the seventh floor. I knew they would follow.

When I reached the Room of Requirement, I had no idea what I needed. I just reached for the door and opened it blindly, walking into-

The beautiful room before me was light and open, with enchanted class doors that showed a sandy beach, with the waves crashing gently against it. The room itself was painted white, and the floors were a light beech colour. Dotted around were couches and armchairs, and low tables to put things on. This room was an exact replica of our private house in Ibiza.

It was the one room that I felt safe in, and I silently thanked the room for bringing me here.

The door opened behind me as the seven others spilled in. I could feel them watching me as I mentally locked the room and asked it to not allow anyone to overhear us. Then I gestured to the seats and said, "Why don't we sit down? I have a feeling this might be a long conversation." There was dry humour in my tone that I wasn't expecting; did I really find any of this funny?

I sat in one of the armchairs and faced the others seriously. Remus and Cara sat, clutching each other, the same way that Mary Jane and Peter sat together. James and Lily sat side by side, ignoring each other as they watched me. Only Sirius stayed standing.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up into his eyes and held his gaze. He broke first, saying angrily, "You can't actually be considering going to him!"

Cara snorted. "Of _course _she isn't; even Rose isn't that stupid-"

"I am," I told them softly. "I have to."

"Rose," Cara snapped, appalled. "You can't-"

I snapped, "Don't tell me what to do!"

She looked away, hurt. It wasn't the first time I yelled at her, but this meant more and I should have felt bad. I didn't.

"Let me lay the facts out, Ca. I don't have a fucking choice; I cannot – and will not – be the reason people die. I won't. Julian, Mum, Dad – they died to keep me safe from him. That's not going to happen again."

She looked at me desperately, but before she could speak Mary Jane broke in, saying, "I am sorry, but could someone _please_ explain what the fuck is going on?"

I glanced at her and evaluated her with a swift thought. "Mary Jane Richards, if we explain you must swear never to tell any one what we say."

"If you want me to make the unbreakable vow, then I will," she said, meeting her gaze. "Something bad is going on and I want to help."

I sighed. "Would someone care to explain the full story to Miss Richards? And Miss Evans, at that?"

So Cara explained everything that we explained to the boys to them, and then we sat silently for a few more minutes. Lily looked at me and said, "You can't go back to him."

I looked at her bleakly. "What choice do I have?"

She shook her head. "God, don't you guys have the police for stuff like this?"

"It's all legal," James pointed out, sounding defeated.

"No, it's not!" Lily argued hotly.

"Lily," I snapped at her, a clear warning in my tone. She looked at me and said, "It's time you told them."

"No!" I snapped, on my feet. "And none of this is any of your business! I'm going back to _my_ husband and there is nothing any of you can say to change my mind!"

Sirius looked at me strangely, then said, "Not even if I told I loved you?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen – Cara**

**The Prophecy**

I stood, my mouth hanging open in shock. What had he just said? The room was in complete silence. Rose was staring at Sirius as if he had grown an extra head.

"What did you just say?" Rose asked after what seemed to be an eternity.

"I said, I love you," Sirius replied smoothly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. We all stared at him except for Rose, who looked at the floor, her face turning a startling shade of red. When she finally looked up tears filled her eyes.

"That doesn't change anything, Sirius. I'm going and there's nothing that will change my mind." Rose spoke quietly but there was a dangerous edge to her voice. She was not going to be reasonable right now.

"You can't, Rose! _You can't go to him_," Sirius yelled at her, so loudly that it echoed around the room.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Rose screamed back at him.

"YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP; WE CAN FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS MESS!"

"NO WE CAN'T! THIS IS MY FIGHT NOT YOURS!"

The shouting carried on like this and we just watched this exchange in silence. There was nothing we could do; Rose wasn't going to back down and neither was Sirius. The argument carried on, their voices getting louder until they were screaming across the room and at each other.

Then there was a knock at the door, making us all jump (well except Rose and Sirius who hadn't heard).

"I'll get it then, shall I?" I asked brightly. When nobody answered me, I walked to the door. I opened it to reveal Dumbledore standing there. I stood frozen, staring at him.

"Well, Miss White, aren't you going to invite me in? I require a word with you and your sister."

"Yes, Sir, of course – come in," I stammered, moving out of the way. He walked in, his eyes sweeping the room, pausing on Rose and Sirius. They were still screaming at each other.

"Take a seat, Sir; they should stop soon," I said, remembering my manners. He sat in an arm chair and watched the couple argue, a wry smile and a twinkle in his eyes. After a moment Rose saw Dumbledore and stopped; Sirius hadn't.

"ROSE, I LOVE YOU!" he yelled, his voice echoing suddenly around the silent room. He stopped, swallowed, and lowered his voice, saying, "Please don't do this."

Rose didn't answer; instead she looked at Dumbledore and said quietly, "Hello, Professor."

He smiled at her as Sirius spun around to look at him, his jaw dropping. "Good afternoon, Rose, Sirius. Please, don't let me stop you."

The couple blushed and I sent a grateful smile at Dumbledore. "Was there something we can help you with, Professor?" I asked, sitting back with Remus. Rose and Sirius also made their way to their seats, sitting as far away from each other as physically possible.

Everyone turned to look at the professor, while simply asked, "You have something to share with me, don't you girls?"

Rose and I exchanged worried glances, and then I said, "How did you know?"

"There is very little that goes on in this school that does not come to my attention, girls." He turned to Rose and said, "For example, your letter."

Rose paled. "How- how much do you know?"

"The basics," he replied softly. "I heard of your betrothal, but not your marriage. Perhaps you should simply start at the beginning?" Rose nodded and swallowed. "Would you like to do this here or in my office?"

"Here," she whispered.

"Shall we leave?" Lily asked, picking up on Rose's anxiety. She started to rise, but Rose waved a hand.

"Stay. You're all involved in this."

"What?" I blurted, confused. How were they involved? Wouldn't I know if they were?

With sad eyes, Rose turned to look at me. "Cara," she said softly, "I am afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."

"_What_?" I asked. Swallowing down my anger and confusion, I simply ordered, "Explain."

Rose stood and stared out of the enchanted window. With her back to us, she began to speak, sounding as if she was quoting:

"_The two sisters of White,_

_Born into darkness to fight for Light._

_One the Seer, whose eyes will guide him,_

_Two the Healer, whose love will bind him._

_The Chosen One shall be born to the Stag and the Doe._

_He shall vanquish their long fought with Foe._

_The Seer shall guide him, the Healer bind him;_

_Their strength must be sure to be able to find him._

_First comes the Grim, harbinger of Death;_

_Second the Wolf, loyal to last breath;_

_Third the Stag, who brings the Chosen One;_

_Last the Rat, who will be first to run._

_The Four, along with the Doe and the Cat_

_Will all bring strength, even the Rat._

_The Wolf and the Seer belong together;_

_The Grim and the Healer, partners for ever._

_Trust the Night and hide in Day;_

_Or else the World will lose its Way._"

She took a deep breath, and then turned to face us. "This prophecy was made twice, once in the sixteenth century by a famous Seer who foretold the rise of the Dark Lord and the birth of the Chosen One to defeat him. Then it was made again, almost twelve years ago, by you, Cara."

I shot out of my chair. "_What_! YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME? HOW COULD YOU, ROSE?" I shouted at her, the anger I had repressed boiling out at her.

"Cara, please listen-"

"No, I don't care what you have to say! You lied to me for nearly twelve years!"

"CARA!" Rose yelled suddenly. I stopped, taken aback. Calmer, she said, "Will you hear me out, at least?"

"Why should I? How can I even trust that you'll be honest with me?" Even to my ears, my voice sounded heartbroken.

"You know I'm telling the truth, because I can't hide anything any more. The time has come to tell you everything, and although I want nothing more than to lie to you, I have to tell you," she explained in a soft voice.

Swallowing, I sat back to listen.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen – Rose**

**The Truth – All of It**

I stared across the room at my heartbroken sister and tried to order my thoughts. When I next opened my mouth, I said, "We were foretold before we were born." I glanced at Dumbledore. "Our parents knew this, and tried to protect us. But when Tom Riddle demanded one of us for his wife, they could not resist him; they chose to protect Cara from him, knowing that – in his hands – she would be a dangerous weapon."

I stopped to take a breath. "Neither of us knew this until shortly after our sixth birthday, when I found out. This was the day Tom Riddle came to meet us for the first time.

"After he had left, Cara began to act strangely. She didn't react when I spoke to her, and shortly after this she spoke the prophecy. When she came out of the trance, she did not know what she had said. She didn't remember. I knew, from that moment, that I could never tell anyone until I found the people mentioned; then, and only then, would it be safe to reveal it."

Dumbledore frowned. "Did Tom ever discover this?"

"I don't think so," I said. Then I moved on. "The next memory that is important, I suppose, is my wedding day." Dumbledore paled, looking shocked – and somewhat angry. "Yes," I told him knowingly, "When I was twelve I married Tom Riddle. You have my apologies for deceiving you, professor. It was necessary at the time."

"When I was fifteen, I was sent to live with him. I was too young to know what to expect, but what came of it was worse than I could possibly have imagined." I stopped, and glanced at Lily for moral support. She nodded encouragingly. "He- he beat me." I stopped again, unsure of how to go on. "I was so young, so frightened. In the end, I couldn't take it any more. After two years I begged him to allow me a visit to my family, and he healed me so they wouldn't find out.

"That wasn't the only reason I tried to escape. I also ran because of what I had discovered – that Tom Riddle had split his soul using horcruxes."

Dumbledore looked horrified, but I shook my head at him, tears already running down my face. "I ran away, stealing the horcrux I knew of. I thought we were safe, but then they were murdered, Mum and Dad and Julian."

I could no longer suppress the tears that threatened; sobs overtook me, breaking me down as I hid my face. I heard someone move and sit beside me, wrapping me into strong, familiar arms.

I turned my face to look at Sirius, and could only choke out, "I am sorry, I'm so, so sorry," over and over again as he held me close to his chest. He pressed his face into my hair and let me cry on him.

Finally, I regained control of myself and pulled back, going to wipe my face when he passed me a tissue. "Thanks," I muttered, embarrassed.

"You're welcome," he told me softly.

Then I looked up at Dumbledore. "Well? Anything else you need to know?" My voice sounded accusatory, as if I was trying to pick a fight. It was kind of instinct for me, I supposed, to fight when frightened.

I should probably work on that.

He smiled in understanding. "Rose, I am sorry to push you so much, but I need to know about this letter."

I nodded and glanced at the others. Lily handed him the letter, her hand shaking a little. He unfolded it, read it, then looked up at me steadily. "You cannot be seriously considering going, can you?"

I looked at him incredulously as everyone smiled. Sirius said, "_Thank_ you. We've been trying to tell her, but she won't get it in her thick skull."

I ignored him, although I wanted to point out that my skull was no thicker than his, and carried on looking at Dumbledore. "Sir, you know what he will do."

He paled slightly. "Yes, I do. But if what you said is true…"

"It is."

"Then you cannot go back there," he pointed out. "He'll kill you, or worse."

"What's worse than dead?" Peter asked curiously.

I glanced at him. "Broken," I answered simply. "Better dead than dark." Then I went on to point out, "Besides, if he finds out about the prophecy, then you guys are all screwed too. He'll come after you."

"So, wait," James asked slowly. "Who's who?"

I shot him an amused look. "The Grim is Sirius, the Wolf is Remus, the Rat is Peter and the Stag is you, James." Then I glanced at Lily, and said, with a grin, "You're the Doe."

"_What_?" she shrieked. "I am _not_ having a baby with _that_!"

I smiled. "It is foretold, Lils. Give it time." The two exchanged glances; Lily horrified, James satisfied. Then I carried on, "And Mary Jane is the Cat. Obviously Cara is the Seer, and I suppose I must be the Healer."

"But," Mary Jane protested, "Why am _I_ part of this?"

I looked at her for a long moment, evaluating her. "Mary Jane, you are a part of this, not because you were foretold, but because you want to be. You followed us from the Hall this afternoon."

She looked down, abashed. "I just… never thought this kind of stuff would happen to me. You read about it in books, but…"

Cara glared at me from across the room as I answered her. "We never had that luxury as children."

Apparently unable to contain herself any longer, Cara spat back, "_You_ never had that luxury! I never had the _luxury_ of knowing anything about it!"

I stared at her from across the room, anger stirring inside me. "I was _protecting _you!" I stood up, unable to stop myself. "You were the _lucky one_!" I nearly screamed at her. "I never had the luxury of being innocent! I never had the choice! All I wanted was a normal childhood and instead I got _this_! You think I was being selfish keeping it from you? I was being kind."

She looked away, staring down at her hands clutched in her lap. I crossed the room and knelt by her side, taking her hands in mine. "Sister, I beg your forgiveness. I was simply trying to give you the chance to live."

She sobbed and hugged me tightly. Tears were streaming down her face, and I held her close for a moment, before I released her to Remus and stepped back. Sirius looked at me for a moment and asked, "So, what's the plan?"

I swallowed, then smiled. "For now? We forget about it. We have a week. We have Quidditch trials in less than an hour and I, for one, plan on being in the team."

The others looked at me incredulously, but I smiled. "He wants me to live in fear and always think about him, but I won't. I will not let him rule my life."

Then I smiled at them and said. "How about you?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty – Cara**

**Trials and Tribulations**

"Let's get ready then," I said quickly, before anyone disagreed. Rose was right; we couldn't let him rule our lives and dictate what we do. The others just stared at us as if we're crazy (which, of course, we were).

Professor Dumbledore smiled brightly at us before saying, "Rose, I agree whole heartedly with you. There is no reason to allow fear to rule us or dictate our actions. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important work to be getting on with." He stood up slowly and looked around at us all "And I believe you have trails to prepare for." He left the room with a twinkling smile.

I was glad we'd told him everything; he could help us in a way the others couldn't. The prophecy, the one I had made unknowingly all those years ago, was plaguing my mind. I knew why she hadn't told me, but it still bothered me that she hadn't. She had broken the promise she made to me, right after my first prediction.

We were four when I made my first prediction. It was Christmas day, and Rose and I had been playing with our new dolls' house. I don't remember what happened, but I can still see her face. She told me what had happened and what I had said.

"_One will rise stronger than all._

_The power to vanquish,_

_To love and conquer all,_

_From ashes and tears._

_He will rise to suffer,_

_A saviour for all,_

_The Chosen One._

_Dark will be vanquished,_

_Light will win,_

_Love conquering all._

_The Stag and the Doe_

_Will live in memory,_

_Their sacrifice more than love,_

_The Chosen One their son,_

_Saving humanity,_

_For humanity saves him_."

My prophecy scared us both, and so Rose made a promise to me. She promised to always tell me what I had seen. I understood her choice but that didn't stop it from hurting me. She had broken her promise, lied to me for years. I wanted to shout and yell at her for what she'd done, but I couldn't. She was hurt, broken and she needed me. No matter what had happened, she needed me and I was going to help her.

The quidditch trials went well. Both Rose and I got on to the team, along with Sirius, James, Frank Longbottom and two other girls. It had been a while since we had played, but being up in the air it felt like it was only yesterday. The day went on more normally than we expected and that night we did our prank on the toilets.

We snuck out under James' cloak with Peter in rat form running ahead. We reached the first set of toilets without incident and we moved on to the next set.

We were half way there when we saw Dumbledore with McGonagall ahead of us. Dumbledore said something we couldn't hear and McGonagall left.

"Well, what might you be up to at this late hour?" he asked, turning to look at where we stood invisible. We gasped; how could he know we were here? "On second thoughts, don't tell me and it can be a surprise tomorrow. I do, however, have a request: you can do as you will but I wish my office to be left alone." He turned as he spoke and walked away, calling back to us, "Have fun."

We watched him go astonished; we had been caught and gotten away with it. We managed to get all the toilets done before dawn and get back to bed before anyone woke up. We all slept late Sunday morning and when we did finally get up the school was in chaos, all over the toilets; it had worked.

"Hey, what's all the fuss about?" I called over to Lily, sounding as innocent as I could manage.

"Someone cursed all the toilets and no-one can lift the curse." I laughed at this. Rose shared my amusement and when we told the boys they were in hysterics. I left them to go over to Rose, who was now writing a letter. I knew it was wrong but I read it over her shoulder.

_Tom,_

_I shall see you on Saturday. Please arrange my journey. Oh, and Tom, when you send your Death Eaters, please make certain they aren't ones who hex everyone they see. You know how Dumbledore is about that._

_Your wife,_

_Rose._

I was appalled; how could she be doing this after yesterday? I thought Dumbledore had convinced her not to go. "Rose what the hell are you thinking?" I hissed at her, struggling to stay calm.

"Look, I told you yesterday, I'm going no matter what. I can't let him hurt you guys."

"At least talk to Dumbledore about it first, okay?" She nodded and we left, walking to his office in awkward silence. I didn't know what to say; I just wanted to shout at her until she said she wouldn't do it.

We reached his office just as he came along the corridor. "Ah, girls I've been looking for you. Cursing the toilets was ingenious; however I must insist that the curse is removed this evening. Now, what can I do for you?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One – Rose**

**Dumbledore's Office**

The moving gargoyle was cool enough, but the moving staircase too? I snorted to myself; I had a feeling that whoever had designed it was just doing it to show off. Well, I would have if it had been me, I decided.

Dumbledore's office was spectacular. The first thing that hit me was the paintings of old head masters and mistresses; the sheer volume of them was the most surprising thing. They covered all of the walls, so much so that I absently wondered where Dumbledore would go when his time came.

He smiled at us and gestured for us to sit down. Once we had done so, he took his seat behind the desk and locked his fingers together, staring at them instead of us. "Now, Miss White, what can I do to help you?" This, I assumed, was aimed at Cara, so I allowed her to answer.

"I just found Rose writing a letter to Voldemort asking him to arrange her journey for her!" Cara shot out her seat, clearly agitated, and began to pace back and forth. Then she began to rant. "I thought we all agreed to live life? How could you do that? How can you go back to him? It will destroy you! You will hate yourself and kill yourself, or he will kill you…"

I tuned her out and watched the magnificent phoenix that sat across from me. It was a beautiful creature; red and gold and huge, but its eyes were the best thing about it. They were intelligent and kind, more so than any other bird's I had ever seen.

"Rose, are you listening to me?"

I snapped out of my reverie and turned to my sister, my expression serious. "Cara, you know how much I love you and value your opinion, right?"

She nodded reluctantly.

So I stood and placed my hands onto her shoulders. "This separation will not be forever; I know that you and the others can work out a way to defeat him, or at least neutralise him for a while. But I must return to him, to be able to keep you safe. If I stay, I put the entire Wizarding World in jeopardy."

"He'll kill you before we kill him!"

"He won't kill me," I said softly.

"How do you know that?" Dumbledore asked curiously. "Lord Voldemort has never held back on murdering people before."

"Because if he kills me, then he loses," I said softly. "It's always a competition with him, and he cannot bear to lose. If I die, then he loses. If I escape, he loses. While I am under his control, he is winning. If I lose myself to him, he wins. Only after he has completely broken me would he ever consider killing me, and I can assure you that that will not happen."

Cara looked sick. "Rose…"

"Professor, please back me up; I cannot stay here."

"Professor, you cannot let her go!"

Dumbledore leant forwards to study us over his half-moon glasses. "Girls," he said softly. "I am so sorry for your situation." Then he sighed, and looked at my sister. "Cara, I must agree with your sister. There is no way to avoid her going."

She went pale. "No! She will not leave!"

"I am leaving," I told her with sad eyes. "Do not make my last week of freedom miserable because of it."

She sobbed and threw herself into my arms, breaking down again completely. I sighed softly and held her for a minute, before getting impatient. "Pull yourself together, Cara," I ordered her. She backed away from me and wiped at her face, glaring at me.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me," she said.

"Stop being so selfish!" I nearly screamed at her. I forced myself to stop and take a breath, counting to ten before I spoke again. "Don't you see how hard this is without you making it harder?"

She looked down, abashed. I looked over at Dumbledore, who smiled at us both. "We shall see you at dinner, Professor," I told him, before taking my sister's arm and marching us away.

When I reached the Gryffindor common room, the others were waiting for us, sitting around the fire anxiously. When we climbed in the portrait hole, they all rose to their feet, looking at us with worried eyes.

Remus looked at Cara and, when he realised she was still crying, he came to her automatically, and wrapped her in his arms. As she sobbed against his chest, I watched them, my face impassive. I would never have the luxury of losing it in Sirius' arms, I mused. I couldn't let Riddle know how much I cared for the others, or he would break me easily.

Sirius moved to me, as if he was going to hug me too, but I stopped him with a look. He looked down, hurt, and returned to the fire to sit.

Damn, I thought, my heart twisting in my chest. I hated to hurt him.

"What is it?" Remus asked me, anger in his voice. "What did you do?"

I turned to glare at him, hating myself for what I was about to do. "Why do you assume it has to be me? Fucking hell, I am her _sister_. I am the only one in this place who has actually been there for her in tough times, and you have the guts to blame me for this?"

He looked as if he had been slapped. "Hey, be fair-"

"No," I cut him off. "I will _not_ be fair. Why should I be? You all disgust me with your fawning and planning. If there was any trouble you'd all be hiding behind us." I glared around at the seven people crowded in front of me and tried to stop the pain of what I was saying from reaching my face. "I'll actually be glad to leave on Saturday; at least there people actually are living their life."

"Rose," Cara whispered, her voice twisting in pain. "You don't mean that-"

"Yes, I do," I told her, not softening my words at all. "So I'll say my goodbyes now and just leave, because I can't be bothered to stay around an extra week."

Then I turned and stormed up the stairs to the girls' dorms. What Cara didn't know was that I'd already sent a letter to Tom, saying to prepare for my journey that night, rather than on Saturday. I had received a brief, victorious message back, saying to meet his Death Eaters by the gates at five p.m. sharp. The letter she had caught me writing... well, I had known she would see it. She's too nosy for her own good.

_By Merlin,_I thought, _That girl is too everything for her own good. Too kind, too noble, and definitely too caring. She'll be the death of me, if I'm not the death of her._

I packed my things quickly and efficiently, checking the time on my watch. It was just gone three.

How did things go wrong so quickly? One week of happiness. One, brief week of normalcy and love. Love.

Damn Sirius to the pits of hell, I thought desperately as I changed out of my jeans to put on the more 'appropriate' garb. It was traditional to wear dresses, so I even had to put on a stupid corset. How could I have fallen in love in a week? How is that possible?

I sat gently on my bed, tears streaming down my face. I wanted to run and never look back. I wanted to go downstairs and stay there forever. I needed to leave them and go with Riddle.

I hated my life.

When I was finished dressing and packing, I picked up my bags and checked my face, removing any traces of tears or sorrow. I put on my 'mask', the one I had learnt to a long time ago. The dress – a dark red to show my Gryffindor pride – was floor length and pretty, with a high-neck. Unfortunately, it looked like something McGonagall would have worn, rather than something Rose White- I mean, I corrected myself, Rose _Riddle_, would have worn.

For the finishing touch, I took the chain holding my ring from around my neck and placed the ring on my finger.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two – Cara**

**Goodbye**

I was crying in Remus' arms when Rose's last words sank in. She was really leaving – I might never see her again. I pulled myself away from Remus to run up after her. She wasn't there. I searched everywhere, but she was gone. That might have been the last time I ever saw her and I shouted at her. No goodbye, no hugs, only shouts and tears. I could still stop her; I had to try.

I wiped my eyes and ran down the stairs. I moved straight passed the others, ignoring their calls. I had to find her to say goodbye. I reached the gates just as she pulled them open.

"ROSE!" I yelled. She turned to face me. "I'm sorry. I know you have to go and I won't try to stop you. I just need to say goodbye." I ran down to her and hugged her. I was sorry. She had to go, I knew that, but I just didn't want her to. "I'm sorry; I was being a selfish cow earlier. I understand; I just want you here and safe." I looked at her and she hugged me back.

"You know I love you, Ca," she said softly. For the first time in our lives, our roles were reversed; I was the one crying while Rose was the strong one, the steady one.

"I love you," I sobbed in her arms. "I love you."

"Goodbye, Ca. It won't be forever, I promise. Tell Sirius-" She hesitated, then said simply, "Tell him I said I'll see him again." She let go, turning on her heel. I watched her leave me, dressed in a high collared deep red dress, clearly one that he would approve of. She never looked back as the Death Eaters took her away.

I broke down once she was gone. "I love you Rose, please come back," I whispered, almost as if it was a prayer. Tears streamed down my face but right then I didn't care. I collapsed to the floor, sobbing my heart out. She was really gone, taking herself to hell for us.

I cried for hours. My sister was gone, my twin. She would suffer at his hands and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't even help her anymore.

I had been there for hours when someone came over, putting an arm around me. I turned to see Lily; she had a single tear falling down her face. "She really went back?" I didn't answer her, but she knew. She held me tighter and started to cry with me. The sky darkened and we stood up, tears still falling.

"We need to get back, don't we?" I asked, trying to regain control.

"Yeah, we do. The others are worried, you know. Remus has been searching everywhere for you. We want to help." She spoke softly as we walked back. "Did you see her?"

"Yeah, I said goodbye, and she promised to come back."

"That's good; you'll see her again, then." Lily, sounding optimistic, was trying to be comforting, but it didn't help.

"She's broken a promise to me before," was all I said. Nothing more was needed. That long ago promise that might have saved us if she'd kept it. If she had told me, we could have worked it out before this got out of hand. She could still be here now if she had kept her promise.

We reached the Room of Requirement, and opened the door, revealing the marauders and Mary Jane sitting there. Sirius was silently crying, Remus pacing looking worried and the others were sat wearing concerned looks. They didn't know what to do.

I walked in and, instead of following my heart to Remus, I went to Sirius. He looked up at my approach; tears covered his face as they did mine.

"She loved you." I spoke so softly I thought he might not have heard. But he did, his eyes found mine and I saw his face fill with hope.

"She does?" he asked, in a voice so sad, yet so hopeful, it broke my heart. He loved her, and she had left him.

"She does, but she had to do this. It's not easy but she'll come back. I promise. That's what she said when we said goodbye. She told me- She told me to tell you she said 'I'll see you again'."

I turned to leave, but his next words stopped me. "Thank you. I really do love her, Ca. Please help me get her back."

"I will," I promised him as I finally walked to Remus. His arms wrapped around me but it didn't help.

Rose was still gone.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three – Rose**

**Return to Riddle**

As the gates clanged shut behind me I didn't look back. I didn't cry. I didn't even let myself think of Cara; instead, I pushed my mind forwards, focusing on my next ordeal.

Three Death Eaters stood before me. I recognised Avery and Nott instantly, but not the last one. I thought for a minute, then realised it had to be Rookwood, one of the newer recruits. Before I could think any more on it, I was distracted by Nott stepping forward.

"My Lady," he said, his voice low and subservient. I withheld a wince. I would never get used to being called that. "If you will, we are here to accompany you."

Behind me I could hear Cara's sobs. I could not allow myself to be distracted, I reminded myself with a fierce shake. Acquiescing, I took his arm. "Let's go, Nott."

Avery and Rookwood stepped up as well, Avery taking my other arm and Rookwood touching me on the shoulder. With a twist, Nott apparated us away.

As we came out of the suffocating darkness, I swallowed, trying not to gag. I had only ever apparated a couple of times before, so I was still not used to the feeling. It was not pleasant.

"My Lady," Avery said softly. "The Dark Lord is waiting."

I could feel myself paling, but I steeled myself instead of running away (like I wanted to) and nodded. "Lead the way."

He nodded and stepped forwards, leading a pathway through the darkness before us. Slowly, the blackness was alleviated and Riddle Manor rose up before me.

The building was made of black stone; with white mortar that made the whole building appear as if it were a puzzle, pieced together by a child. The effect was bizarre, and that made it all the more terrifying. It may have looked childish to some, but to me it suited Riddle's personality perfectly; insanity and cool, cruel logic rolled in to one piece. The scariest piece of all, of course, was the fact that I could not escape. The door was open.

Avery did not hesitate as he walked towards it, meaning that I couldn't either. He stepped forwards, then stopped at the door, gesturing for me to enter. I met his gaze and nodded my head in respect. "I thank you for accompanying me."

He bowed, as did the two others. "We are the Dark Lord's to command, my Lady."

I nodded, then focused on the door. If I entered, I might not come out. Ever. But what choice did I have? If I didn't, he would go after everyone I'd ever loved. So I swallowed, raised my chin, and entered the house.

As I stepped over the threshold, I felt his magic pulse over me. This was his home and his signature was all over it. I did not hesitate as I closed the door behind me, shutting out my _husband's_ servants.

I stayed by the door, not moving further into the house. I would move only when he was impatient enough to ask me to – or to come to me.

"Come in, Rose," a high, cold voice called from the room at the end of the hall. I knew what the change in his voice meant – he had made more of those _things_.

Swallowing down my absolute horror and revulsion, I made my way down the hall, opening the door at the end and closing it behind me.

The room I had walked into was a large sitting room. The only light came from the fire burning low in the grate, and directly in front of me, sitting on a plush couch, was Voldemort.

He was tall and pale, but since I had last seen him, about four months previously, his handsome face changed. It looked like it had been melted, deformed, but his eyes were what gave me pause.

Staring out at me from slits, his eyes were glowing red.

Then he smiled. "My beautiful wife." He sighed and beckoned me closer. Unable to stop myself, I moved forwards, staring at his face in morbid fascination. "Yes," he said knowingly. "I have changed a bit since we last met. I am afraid I have ruined my looks a little. But look at you," he exclaimed, smiling at me with vicious eyes. "You are pretty enough for the both of us, no?"

I said nothing, standing before him as he examined me. "Come now, Rose. Do you have nothing to say to your husband after our long months apart?" he taunted me. "Did you not miss me? Or at the very least, miss my touch?"

When I did not rise to his bait, he stood, stepping forwards until our bodies were pressed together and I had to crane my head to meet his eyes. He looked down at me, his eyes calculating and cold. "But, no," he added, continuing his thoughts. "You would not have had to miss my touch, would you? You had a little friend to keep you company."

I could not help myself; I gasped. He smiled and stepped away, prowling the room. "Yes," he agreed. "You are surprised I know that. But why? Did you not expect me to find out?"

I swallowed.

"Infidelity will be punished, Rose," he warned me softly. "But I suppose it is not that major a crime when compared to the severity of the others… Stealing from me, for example. Running away. Cheating me out of my prize. Lying to me…"

I could feel my legs shaking, but I forced my voice to be steady as I stared at him and said, "I have no idea what you mean."

He slapped me across the face. Wincing, I turned to look at him again, retuning my face to the blank mask it had been before.

"You know _exactly_ what I mean," he hissed, right in my face. "Where is it?"

I smiled knowingly. "I don't know."

He could hear the victory in my voice and snarled. "So, you had your sister remove the knowledge from your mind. And she is safe at Hogwarts, under that old fool's protection…"

"It's rather amusing," I cut in. He spun to look at me, unused to being interrupted.

"What is?" he asked, hesitantly.

"That you call Dumbledore an old fool when you are terrified of fighting him," I answered, my voice soft. I expected him to slap me again, but this time he laughed.

"Ah, so little Rosie has grown a backbone since you ran away, has she?" His voice was doting, the complete opposite of what I had expected.

I glared at him. "I had to."

He smiled and stepped forwards. When he reached me, I felt myself backing away automatically, and when my legs hit the back of the sofa I cursed myself for allowing him to play with me. He smiled and pressed forwards, his face moving down to be on a level with me. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," I told him, meeting his eyes as I felt him intrude into my mind. I let him toy with the memories of Sirius and the boys, allowed him to find the pranks and the fun we had, let him into the close comfort Cara and I had shared after my families deaths. I knew he would find nothing more. I would not let him know of my love for Sirius, or my midnight run with him, or of Cara's feelings for Remus. I would not give him any more weapons.

He snarled. "You are a naughty girl, Rose, and naughty girls _get punished_." Then he reached for his wand and pointed at me, yelling, "_Crucio_!"

I screamed, falling to the floor, as the worst pain imaginable flooded through me. As I writhed on the floor, my screams echoing around the room, his laughter joined them.

When he lifted the curse, I panted, lying still on the floor. His laughter stopped too, and I felt him grab my hair, dragging me across the room. I screamed again, trying to escape him. I knew I wasn't acting rationally and should be submitting, not making him madder, but I couldn't act rationally. I needed to escape him.

He threw me down onto the bed in the next room, laughing viciously. He leant over me and kissed me, fiercely, his lips hurting me with the pressure he exerted. I pushed at him futilely, trying to escape as he ripped my dress away from me.

As he loomed over me, he repeated, "Naughty girls get punished."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four – Cara

Making a Plan

1 day, 8 hours, 17 minutes: that was how long Rose had been gone. Not once had she left my thoughts. I was so worried; he could do anything to her and we could do nothing. Sirius had been helping me to come up with a plan to find Rose, to save her. The others were content to leave her there. They said she chose this - and she did, but only because it was either that or he would come after us. She was far too selfless to put us in danger. Some of my friends (they who shall remain nameless) even went so far as to suggest she loved him.

"She chose to go," Remus was constantly reminding me, as if it would stop my irrational behaviour. She chose to, but only out of love for the rest of us. I planned her rescue and did nothing else. I understood why he was worried, but I couldn't leave her there, even if she had chosen to go. "She'll leave if she wants; he can't keep her there."

"Ca, what if we can get the information from Bellatrix or one of the other Slytherins?" Sirius asked me, hopefully.

"We can try; one of them might know." It was hardly a great plan by far, but if we could find out where she was then we'd be fine. We had worked out how to get her out; we wouldn't even need to try and break in. Our family house elf, Loyola, would apparate us inside. After our family's deaths, we had to bring her (the elf) with us, so we had sent her down to the kitchens.

We went down to the dungeons, hoping to find a Death Eater like Bellatrix, but no one was there. We waited in hope; we wouldn't, couldn't give up. It was the only way to get Rose back. I was exhausted and felt my head dropping as we waited, but I couldn't sleep. Even if I could, the nightmares would stop me; cause me to wake in terror. This was easier, safer; they could hurt us but anything was better than my own mind these days.

After 20 minutes of waiting, Rodolphus Lestrange appeared, walking back to the common room. He was Bellatrix's boyfriend. Quickly, we stunned him and pulled the invisibility cloak over him. Then we levitated him carefully to the Room of Requirement. Once we were in the room, he was bound before we revived him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled once he had taken in his surroundings – and us.

"We need to know where he's got Rose and you're going to tell us," I said, a dangerous edge to my voice.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, because I'm sure you like all your limbs attached," Sirius said, his wand drawn.

Visibly paling, the boy said, "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be," he replied. "I know how to hurt you."

"You wouldn't dare," he spat.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Sirius asked, his voice going dark. He leant forwards, bringing the wand straight into the boy's face. "I am a Black. I can do anything dark. Besides, I happen to love that girl, Lestrange. I'd do anything for her."

"You touch me and they'll kill you," he said, his voice going high-pitched and scared. I almost expected him to wet himself.

"If I don't get Rose back, I don't care," Sirius answered. "Now, how about we start with the right leg... It's not like you'll need it - that is, of course, unless you _tell us_." Sirius moved down and grasped the boy's leg, pulling up his trouser leg and lifting his wand.

"Okay, okay I'll tell you!" his voice was frantic, desperate and pleading. A thought hit me.

"He could lie and we wouldn't know… Give me five minutes and then we can see what he really knows," I said, leaving the room quickly. I ran down to Slughorn's store cupboard under the cloak. When I got there, the corridor was empty, so I slipped inside. The veritaserum was easy to find and I was soon shoving a drop into Lestrange's mouth. He gave us the address when we asked after that, and when we were satisfied he had nothing more for us we wiped his memories.

All there was to do now was tell the others and get to Loyola. With any luck Rose would be back by the end of the night.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five – Rose

To Hell and Back

I didn't open my eyes as I woke up. I didn't want to. I already knew what I would see if I bothered to look at myself. I could feel it.

My entire body burned like the cruciatus curse was still working on me, but I could ignore this. I'd felt it before. I had carefully trained my mind to be able to ignore the pain in my body; now, if only I could ignore the pain in my mind.

The night before, I hadn't been able to think past the pain, let alone move, so I had simply stayed there. Now I was awake, I still didn't really want to move.

But then I realised how vulnerable I was, lying on the floor, so I forced my eyes open. I took a moment to re-orientate myself, before gingerly pushing myself into a sitting position. I dragged myself upright, then staggered to the bed. There were clean clothes laid out there, along with a medical kit. I opened that first and began to clean myself up. When I was finished with that, I stared at the clothes in annoyance.

Tom had provided me with a floor-length dress, in emerald green, with a square neck-line and high waist. It was pretty, but it screamed 'I am this man's toy. He can dress me and use me as he wishes.'

I'd also realised that that neck-line would reveal the bruises around my throat. But, as much as I wished I could hide them, I knew I had to play his game, at least until... I shook my head. Until nothing. I would play the game as he wanted it. I had chosen to come here. I had chosen to be his wife, to be a proper wife, even if I hated it. Even if I hated him. So I went through to the bathroom, showered and used the other facilities, then dressed myself. I went through the motions with exaggerated care, as each movement inspired a flare of pain to run through me.

He would not break me, I vowed to myself. I had sworn it; I had promised Cara. I may have broken a promise before, but I would _not_break this one

Besides, I thought, maybe he wasn't actually trying to break me. Tom was a twisted man, yes, but in the end he needed help. He needed love. If I could help him in any way possible, then I would. It might even save lives.

When I was finished, I hesitated over what to do next. I had no idea where my wand was and I didn't especially want to find him… Despite what I thought I might be able to do one day _if_ I fell in love with him, I was still a little terrified of him.

Luckily, the choice was taken away from me as a knock sounded at the door. I called out, "Come in," with as much authority as I could. I would act as if I had chosen this.

The door swung open to reveal a Death Eater by the name of Charles Carter. He was middle aged and balding, and had always had a soft spot for me – and I for him. Our relationship was not all it appeared. In fact, for the two years I had stayed here, he had managed to keep me alive and sane. It was only due to him that I was alive at all. He bowed deeply to me.

"Carter," I greeted him, my voice detached.

"My Lady," he returned. "The Dark Lord asks for your presence at the lunch table, if you are willing?"

I knew it wasn't really an invitation; it was a politely worded order. "Of course, Carter. I shall be along presently." I turned to look at my reflection one last time, then picked up the ring and slid it on to my finger. My eyes stared back at me seriously, framed by masses of brown curls and bruises. I sighed, realising that the haunted look would not leave them even though I struggled to look impassive.

"My Lady?" Carter asked, reminding me he was there.

I turned to glare at him waspishly. "What are you still doing here?" I snapped. "Do you think I do not know the way around in my own home?"

He looked down, abashed. "I am sorry, my Lady! Please-"

Ruthlessly, I carried on. "You are lucky I am not in possession of my wand right now, or I would punish you for your insolence."

He whimpered, but glanced up at me as I mentioned my wand. A wordless message passed between the two of us and he understood. "Please, my Lady, have mercy. The Dark Lord-"

"My husband," I said softly, "Will be waiting for me. Now, if you will excuse me?"

He bowed and backed away, allowing me room to sweep by him, acting as the imposing mistress of the house without a thought. I had got used to acting. Now, at least, I knew Carter would help me. He had an amount of real affection for me. I was grateful for it, but it would get him killed.

I moved gracefully – in spite of being barely able to move from pain – into the dining room. Tom Riddle looked up and stood, smiling as I entered. I curtseyed, then rose and went to him automatically, a practise I had picked up in the two years I had spent here before.

He smiled as I kissed his cheek, saying, "Good afternoon, Wife."

"Good afternoon, Husband," I replied. We seated ourselves opposite each other, and the house elf served us quickly. I looked at the elf for a moment and had to stop myself from reacting. Surely that was… Loyola.

I smiled to myself, and began eating, hoping it would steady me. I could feel his red eyes on me and forced down my reaction to him. I would freak out and be haunted after I left, I decided. I would leave. There was no stopping me - he hadn't managed it before, he wouldn't now. He couldn't keep me here if I really wanted to leave... But... Did I really want to leave? Yes. Of course I did. I couldn't stay here! But... what about his threats against my friends?

_If you stay here, you will die. You cannot help him. He is too far gone_

I knew it was the truth. I did. So I would leave, and forget I had ever thought such things - such things like I could help the Dark Lord recover his humanity. I couldn't. Now, I just had to work out whatever Cara's plan was for retrieving me was.

That girl, I mused, never listened to me. I was suddenly grateful she didn't.

"I must leave," Voldemort said, breaking into my reverie. "I will ask that you do not leave the house. It is... _unsafe_for you outside. I really would prefer you stay inside."

"Of course," I agreed demurely.

Instantly, he was suspicious. "I am leaving Carter and Yaxley here to... look after you . Do not be bothersome."

"I may have the run of the house, then?" I asked him. "I was wondering if I could play piano."

He smiled at me, his eyes cold. "Of course, dear. This is, after all, your home."

I smiled back, my eyes (hopefully) bland. "You are so generous to me."

"That I am," he agreed, then stood up to leave. "Do behave."

"Wait," I said, unable to stop myself. He turned to me, eyebrows raising, and before I could help myself, I added, "Please, be safe."

He raised his eyebrows even more so, looking surprised. "I am always safe. No one can touch me."

"No one can kill you, I know," I said, "But... Just... Be safe."

He stared at me, laughed once, and said, "You wish me to be safe? So you did miss me, then." He laughed once more, then swept from the room.

Slowly, I stood up to leave, too. I thanked Loyola with a word, pretending that I did not know her. She bowed deeply to me, so I assumed that it was unsafe to speak with her, and continued onto the drawing room, where I sat down at the piano to play. God, I hated Death Eaters. I really, really, really hated them. This was such a mess. Why the hell had I said that? Why did I care if he lived or died?

I knew why. That had been my goodbye. That had been the last time I would speak to him as his wife, because I would do my best to break our bond if I could.

I don't know how long I played for; it could have been hours or minutes before I was aware of the two Death Eaters. All I knew for that time was the music and me – I had become one with it and it flowed through me. It was my home; it was my salvation. When I finally realised they were there, I turned to them and smiled after I finished the song I had been playing. They looked at me with respect in their eyes.

Yaxley, I knew, was only a year out of Hogwarts. Carter was mine. We could easily overcome him.

I looked straight at Carter, who met my gaze certainly. So Tom had my wand, then, I realised. Oh, well.

Before I could move, there was a crack, and all three of us turned to stare, incredulously, at Loyola, my beautiful little house elf from home, who had just apparated my sister and Sirius, James and Remus into the room. They instantly raised their wands and stunned the two Death Eaters.

I stared at them for a long moment, with them staring right back.

"You- you came for me," I whispered, swaying ever so slightly. Before I could fall, however, I pulled myself back together. "Someone, give me a wand!"

Cara smiled and handed me one. "I had them recreate your old one."

"Good," I muttered, then knelt beside Carter and woke him up. "Carter, quickly," I said. "Thank you for your support. I am going to wipe your memories. I am so sorry."

He smiled at me and whispered, "Don't you worry, Angel. Just escape. I belong here."

I sniffed as a tear dripped down my face. Then I pointed my wand at him and whispered, "Obliviate." I quickly turned to Yaxley and did the same. Then I stood up and looked at them. "Get me home."

We reached for each other and disappeared as Tom entered the room.

Arriving at Hogwarts wasn't pleasant. We arrived in the middle of a packed Great Hall, and everyone turned to stare at us as I swayed.

I would have fallen if Sirius hadn't been there to catch me, but instinctively I shied away from him and he let go of me.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice sounding broken hearted. "What's happened?" He reached for me again, but I backed away.

"Don't touch me," I heard myself say. I sounded like I was pleading as black spots appeared in front of my eyes. "Please, just don't touch me."

The last thing I remembered was the way the floor seemed to rush up to meet me as I went gratefully into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six – Cara**

**Silent Hope**

Around us, the Great Hall exploded. Sirius caught Rose as she hit the floor, and I moved to his side, anxious to check she was still alive. She was injured, severely; I'd never seen anyone so pale and so obviously broken. The teachers descended from the top table as I grasped her hand, tears streaking down my face. My sister… My poor sister.

Dumbledore reached our side in a matter of seconds and, taking one look at her face, gestured with his wand, levitating her out of Sirius' arms. He didn't look at any of us as he marched out of the hall, maybe because he knew I was ready to murder him. He let her go!

Rose was taken to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey sent everyone away while she treated her. We tried to follow, disobeying her orders, but she had turned around, glaring at us, and said, "Your sister needs treatment. Leave now!" Anxious, I waited outside with Sirius. It honestly seemed to take a lifetime as we stood outside. I paced up and down, but Sirius just leant against the wall, almost looking patient but not quite pulling it off.

"She'll be okay," I muttered under my breath, more trying to convince myself than reassuring Sirius. "She has to be okay."

"Of course she'll be okay," he agreed softly. "She's a survivor. She's done it before."

"You're right," I agreed quickly, but I wasn't convinced. When Rose had come back from him before… well, it hadn't been alright. She hadn't been alright. She'd acted so differently, and I still felt like I didn't know her. She was… she was just… I had no words to describe the change in my twin, but I knew it was there. She wasn't the same as she had been, and I feared how much this new trauma would change her.

I feared that she would start… would start to… I was afraid she'd start to actually see good in him. And if that happened, I didn't know if we'd be able to stop her from going back there until she was destroyed.

When Madam Pomfrey finally let us in, Rose was sleeping peacefully. For a long moment, I stared at her unconscious face. She looked so _young_. I took a deep breath, and then I turned to the matron, trying to muster the courage to find out what was wrong with her.

"I have put her in an induced dreamless sleep; she's exhausted. All of her physical wounds have been tended to; the emotional ones that she will suffer from will be harder to heal, however. She will wake tomorrow morning. You may stay until then." The matron looked grave as she spoke. She looked at me and as if noticing me properly for the first time. "Cara, she will recover, but she will need time," she said, more softly. I watched my sleeping sister and nodded, a tear sliding down my face.

"She can take all the time in the world as long as she gets better. I don't care if she decides to hate me, as long as she's safe." I turned away from Rose, towards the matron.

"I understand, dear. You would give anything to have her well again and that is something most people couldn't do. We will do everything we can, I promise." With this, she looked at Sirius. "She will need to be left alone; she will not want anyone touching her, not now and maybe not ever. She has been through things you cannot imagine and this is something that will haunt her, so please give her space, Sirius." She gave him a severe glare, as if she knew he wanted to hold her kiss her and make it all okay.

"What?" Sirius sounded horrified; it was as if he had got her back and lost her again in the same instant. "She may never recover then?"

"Not completely. For now, it's probably best if you leave. You may come back when Rose is ready."

I watched him leave, heartbroken and lost. He thought he'd get back the Rose he met on the train, but of course she'd changed – sadly not for the better. I knew the price was high for what we had done and I thought that Sirius had known the consequences, but maybe Voldemort's wrath was easier to face than Rose not wanting him near her.

Inside, Rose was still sleeping, her face truly peaceful for the first time in years. She was so beautiful, even broken; never again would I see her in this state. She was all I had left and I couldn't let her go, not like that. I knew Voldemort would try and blackmail her into going back to him, but I wouldn't let her. I would never let her go again. I had to protect her, no matter the cost. Something inside of me – something deeper than the love for my sister – told me that she had a part to play and, damn her, she would play it. Whether she chose to live or not.

I would help her survive, no matter the cost. She was safe now and that was what mattered. For the first time in days, I lay down and slept. My sleep was far from dreamless but it was better than nothing.

When morning finally rolled around, Rose woke. I was sitting by her bedside as she opened her eyes and had to hold back a sigh of relief. She stared at me for a moment in confusion, as if she didn't quite know who I was or how she got there. I watched her eyes and I saw her remember, and I saw the flicker of fear and pain that shot through her, before she rolled over and put her back to me. It wasn't what I had expected and it hurt. But I took a deep breath and asked, "Do you want me to leave, Rose?" I wanted nothing more than her to say no, but expected her to say yes.

"I'm sorry," was all she said, her voice no more than a whisper. Another tear escaped.

"Don't be sorry. Call for me when you're ready, okay? I'll wait."

With that, I stood slowly and walked away from her. It was the second hardest thing I had ever had to do (the single hardest being letting her go in the first place), but I did it, knowing she needed space and time. I may not like it but I would do it; for her I would do anything. I made my way to the common room. Even though I was hungry, I couldn't face the others.

I paused down the corridor from the common room, staring out into the early morning sky. It was beautiful – and for the first time in a while I appreciated the beauty around me, knowing that Rose might never appreciate it again. Merlin, what if the girl… What if Rose never came back? Sighing, I walked on.

In the common room, I saw Remus and Sirius sitting, asleep, in the armchairs by the fire place. I tried to creep passed to the dormitory but Sirius heard me and woke.

"How is she?" His voice was hoarse from crying (finally, a boy who could actually admit he had emotions – he must have an extremely lonely existence) and full of worry.

"She's, well… She's awake, but she needs space right now. That's why I'm here; she wanted me to leave." I spoke softly, not wanting Remus to wake. I loved him, but I loved Rose more. He didn't seem to get that; he said he loved me more than anything, but Rose meant more to me. She was my twin, they only family I had left. She came first. Remus would have to accept that.

Sirius' face fell at my words.

"She will be okay, won't she?" His voice was frantic. I so wanted to give him the answer he wanted, but I didn't know if it was true.

"I don't know, I don't _know_. I hope to God, or Merlin, or whoever the hell is listening that she gets better, but I don't fucking know anymore." Tears were pouring from my eyes once more, and I brushed them away angrily. "I just don't know. What if she doesn't get better, Sirius? What then? I don't know what to do. Do you?"

"No, but she'll be okay. She's strong, a fighter. She has to be okay."

"But what if she's not? I can't lose her too. I just want my sister back." I was crying uncontrollably now. Sirius was more controlled but tears covered his face.

"Don't think like that," he ordered fiercely, standing up to hug me. "We saved her; she'll get better. She has to – we need her."

I gave up then. We did need her and we couldn't give up hope, but the what if's plagued my mind. She _will_ be alright, she _will_ get better, I told myself, over and over until the tears stopped.

I sat with my heads in my hands, Sirius next to me on the chair, silent but there, supporting me. Remus was still sleeping and I was thankful of that, as he would ask how Rose is and it would hurt all over again. But would it ever stop hurting? Somehow I doubted it.

Almost as if it was speak of the devil, just then, Remus stirred and woke slowly. I could have left, said I needed space, but I didn't. I just lifted my head to look at the man I loved. Damn me, but I loved that idiot, already. Even though it had barely been any time since I had met him, I loved him. How the hell had I fallen so fast? How on earth had I fallen _at all_? He reached out, taking my hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The question was too much for me. I didn't know how reply, so I settled on shaking my head softly. I wasn't, but I was better than Rose. I had no right to be not alright while she was so bad. He slipped off the chair to sit next to me and his arms went around me.

"She'll be okay, Ca, honest; she can battle through." She could, I knew that, that wasn't the problem. My problem was what she would come out of it like. She would change. She was already different, colder. She was putting walls up to keep everyone out. I realised that I was scared. What if they never came down?

I could have told Remus this, but instead I sighed and looking at the clock, saying, "We need to get ready, it's almost nine." Class was hardly the place I wanted to be – seeing her empty seat, hearing the whispers, the rumours. But I need normality; I needed something, anything, to take my mind of Rose.

The boys exchanged glances, which I ignored in favour of getting ready for class. We made our way down and found the others leaving the Great Hall. They gave me surprised looks – they probably expected me to be by Rose' side, the side I had been sent away from. Lily came over and hugged me whispering in my ear, "She'll come round, I'm sure of it." The certainty in her voice gave me a renewed hope and we made our way to Divination.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven – Rose**

**The Long Road to Recovery**

As the clock chimed nine o'clock, the doors to the Hospital Wing opened. I didn't bother to look up. I was the only person here; who else would they be here to bother?

Instead, I sat up gingerly, and pulled my knees to my chest. I didn't want to leave the Hospital Wing, but I also hated it here. It was a constant reminder of why I was here, but outside, with all those people…

If I shuddered at the thought of even my sister or the man I loved (yes, I loved him, damn him) touching me, how could I manage that? Would I ever be able to manage in public again? I knew it had been no time, but this… this was the worst I had ever felt. When I had left him for the first time, I hadn't felt like this. I had felt… like it was over. But now, I didn't feel like it was over. I knew I'd be back again.

This time, I wasn't quite certain I didn't _want_ to go back.

"Rose," a soft voice said. I glanced up to see one of the people I never thought I would see again standing there: Carter.

"It's finally happened," I whispered, staring blankly at him. "I've finally gone mad."

Carter grinned. "No, Rose, it's really me. I… well, I escaped and came here; he knew I was helping you and came after me to kill me. When I realised what had happened – you stole my memories, didn't you, Angel?"

I found myself smiling back. Even the action felt false after the last few days. "Carter… Merlin, I thought you would die."

"Not me," he said. "I'm a survivor, Rose, just like you." He moved forwards and sat on my bed, smiling wider as he stared at me. "Rosie, you look like hell."

"I feel it, too," I told him wryly.

"What is going on here?" Madam Pomfrey asked loudly, coming out of her office. "Rose is very unwell and not to be disturbed- Who are you?"

Carter looked uneasy. "I…"

"Carter is my friend, Madam Pomfrey," I said quickly. "Please let him stay."

She stared at me, shocked. I understood her surprise; I had barely said a word since I had been brought back, only what I had said to Cara and nothing more. She wavered, torn between being happy that I was speaking and being mad that he was here without permission.

"Well," she said, hesitating, "Does Professor Dumbledore know you are here?"

"Uh," he said, also hesitating, "Not exactly…"

Just then, the doors slammed open and Dumbledore stood there, blazing in his anger. He raised his wand and pointed at Carter, his voice filling the room as he cast the stunning spell.

I only had a minute to react, and I didn't have my wand, so I jumped out of bed, screaming, "NO!"

The jet of red light hit me as I shoved Carter out of the way, and I blacked out.

It was only a few seconds before I was woken up, blinking at the light coming into the blackness. I instantly looked around for Carter, to find him tied up in the corner.

Angrily, I turned to Dumbledore, demanding, "Let him go this minute!"

He met my gaze levelly. "Rose, do you know who this man is? He is a Death-"

I cut him off. "This man is Charles Carter, and yes, I know he _was_ a Death Eater. He also changed allegiance to me after he saw how Voldemort treated me. It is solely thanks to Carter's attentions that I am still alive. So, release him!"

Dumbledore swallowed, glancing between us, obviously hesitating. As I was about to yell at him again, he sighed and released him. I stood up, glaring at them all.

"Does this mean you are speaking to us again, Rose?" the matron asked. I glanced over at her and frowned. Did it?

"I… I suppose it does," I answered, wrapping my arms around my bruised and battered body.

"Will you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore asked.

I looked at him sceptically. "If you have to ask, then you aren't as intelligent as I thought you were." Then, as I thought about it, I sat down onto the bed with a choked sob. "Oh, God, it doesn't change anything, not really. He's still going to come for me. He's going to make me go back to him."

"Rose," Carter whispered. "Don't worry about that."

"Why?" I asked, wiping my eyes in frustration.

Carter smiled. "Because he won't be coming after you again so soon. He was angry, but more impressed. He thinks if he backs off, eventually you'll join him of your own accord."

I stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't honestly think that I would go back to him, could he? But then I realised. He knew. He knew I actually wanted to care for him. He knew I wanted to love him. He thought I would come back.

I couldn't. I wouldn't.

Dumbledore looked surprised, but kind of happy too. "Well, that is excellent news. Now, what are we going to do with you?"

Carter stared at me. "I'll do whatever Rose wants me to. I'm in her debt; she is the only reason I have not lost my soul completely to darkness."

"Better dead than dark," I whispered to him, then smiled. "Professor, Carter comes with my reference. Will you take him into the Order?"

Dumbledore glanced at me. "How did you know- Never mind. You know almost everything." Then he looked appraisingly at Carter. "Will you be willing to do exactly as I say?"

He nodded, eagerly.

"Then I'll be putting you into someone's care then. If you will come with me?"

I waved at Carter when he looked at me. "Go, I'm going back to class."

"No, you are not!" Madam Pomfrey snapped. Before either of us could yell at each other – as I was on the verge of doing – Dumbledore intervened.

"Poppy," He said softly. "Don't you think that Rose should do whatever makes her feel comfortable?"

She sighed, but nodded. "Very well, but I want you back here straight afterwards for a check up!"

I smiled and, after agreeing, hurried off to Gryffindor tower to change into robes, and then up to Divination – which I was late for. I could do this. This wouldn't be as difficult as I was thinking. Forcefully, I pushed the last few days out of my head and pushed open the door.

As I entered, the divination teacher, Professor Relicum, was in full swing and looked rather irritated when I walked in. "Why are you late?" he snapped, angrily. The entire class turned to stare at me (as the door was at the back of the room) and I forced myself not to react.

"I was in the Hospital Wing, sir," I told him pointedly. "I was released late."

He sighed, but gestured for me to take my usual seat between Cara and Sirius. I swallowed, hesitating, but he glared at me and snapped, "If you are just here to interrupt my lesson, you can spend more time here in detention tonight!"

"Yes, sir," I said, moving through the class like I was confident. Looking up at me, Sirius moved over one so I could sit on the edge.

I was touched by his thoughtfulness, and smiled gratefully at him as I sat down. He nodded back and turned to listen to Relicum's lecture.

When he finally finished and set us off on crystal balls, the others all turned to me and most of them grinned.

Lily squealed, "Welcome back!" sentiments which were echoed by Mary Jane and Peter. James just smiled at me, while Remus also gave me a warm smile and a cheeky, "Good morning!"

My sister looked down at her hands, then back up at me, barely containing her tears. "I am so glad to see you," she whispered. I smiled woodenly at her; it wasn't that I wasn't grateful for them all and happy they were happy, but all I really wanted was to be normal again.

I glanced unthinkingly at Sirius, whose eyes looked red and sore, and looked like he hadn't been sleeping in days. Guilt swept through me and I sent him a tentative smile. He said nothing, but his face changed, becoming so warm and tender it touched my heart.

I nearly broke, but I swallowed back my tears and stared into the crystal ball instead.

For a long minute no one spoke. I stared at the swirling mist for such a long time that I felt like I was falling and suddenly-

I stared at the figures as they moved through the mists. There was a snake that slithered through the mists and then it opened its mouth and bit down hard on a red-headed man.

I jerked away and pretended I saw nothing. Looking up, I said, "Well, it's awfully good to be back."

"Why did you let him keep you there?" Cara asked, suddenly. I felt myself blush as she stared at me all too perceptively.

"What do you mean" I asked. "You know why-"

"Yeah, I do," she said back slowly. "But I'm not certain if _you_ do."

"What are you talking about, Ca?" I stared at my twin sister, confused.

She sighed and shook her head. "We know why you went back, but not why you stayed. You could have left at any time. Why didn't you?"

"He would have come after all of you-"

"Is he coming after us? Rose? Is he after us?" Her eyes bore into mine and I suddenly wondered why the hell I was here. Slowly, I shook my head. She sighed, halfway satisfied and halfway disappointed. "So why didn't you leave earlier?"

I gritted my teeth and turned away from her. I hated him. I hated him. I hated him. I really did. I was also afraid of him, and he had hurt me – badly. I never wanted to be that vulnerable again. He was evil, pure and unadulterated evil.

"Because I thought there was a chance to save people's lives," I whispered. "I thought if I was there, he'd be less likely to-" I broke off, and Cara jumped on me.

"To what, Rose? To kill? To rape? Because we all know that's what he does. What did you think you could help with?"

"I thought I could help!" I exploded, glaring at her. To my complete shock and horror, tears started to burst out of my eyes and I wiped them away impatiently. "I know it was wrong. I know I should have left as soon as I had the chance to… But he's my husband, Cara. It's my _duty_." The word came out twisted by misery and despair but I couldn't help feeling that way.

My sister looked at me and said, "Rose, it isn't your duty. He's a monster. He _bought_ you when you were a child. This isn't a marriage; it's ownership. Don't let him control your mind, too."

I stared away from her, horrified by the truth in her words. I met Sirius' eyes and, as he stared back at me, I realised she was right. I'd been telling myself the same thing for a long time, but it took my twin sister yelling it at me in the middle of Divination for it to make a difference.

Damn it all.

I hated it when Cara was right.

The rest of the day passed similarly, if a little more quietly; no one spoke to me except to welcome me back, and the marauders were so protective of me that not one Slytherin even looked at me, excluding Regulus – Sirius' brother – who nodded at me. I nodded back, hesitantly.

After I had been released from the Hospital Wing (again), we all went back to the Common Room. Cara and Remus automatically curled up in the same chair, as did Peter and Mary Jane and – to my surprise – did James and Lily.

As I watched them, shocked, they smiled at each other in chagrin. "Yeah," James said softly. "I guess we have you to thank for this."

"Oh?" I asked, sitting on the couch next to Sirius gingerly. "How so?"

Lily smiled. "You going off made me realise just how lucky I was to have someone like James so devoted to me." A dark shadow crossed her face. "Severus didn't understand why I was so upset. He… He actually believes in those stupid people!"

"Lils," James said softly. She shook it off, and he carried on, "So, Lily finally realised that I actually cared about something other than hexing people, and when I volunteered to go and get you with those two, she surprised everyone by saying that I wasn't leaving her, and she wasn't losing me too."

She grinned. "You should have seen his face. After six years of me hating him…"

"Hey," he joked. "I was just relieved you didn't say 'I hope you die'."

She smiled and reached up to kiss him. Watching them, my stomach twisted and I wanted to scream. Everything wavered around me and I swallowed, looking away from them quickly. Pain coursed through me, followed by a flush of heat – too much heat, I was too hot, I couldn't do this, not here, not anymore-

I looked up to find everyone watching James and Lily – except for Sirius, who was watching me steadily.

"You okay?" he whispered. I could see in his eyes that all he wanted to do was reach for me and hug me, and inside I wanted that too.

But my head couldn't accept the fact that it was Sirius, not Tom Riddle. Not the man who owned me, body and soul. It was Sirius, who loved me. Not Voldemort. Not evil incarnate. Not the man I couldn't help, but wished I could. Instead, it was the man who wanted to help me. I knew this, but I couldn't accept it. Angrily, I started to fight myself. I didn't give in when I was being tortured by Voldemort, the darkest wizard of his time, I told myself angrily, so I shouldn't give in now.

I realised I was shaking, but I stayed staring at Sirius. I reached out for him and in one movement he wrapped my in his arms. I was shaking and crying and all I could do was cling to him and whisper, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

He leant down and kissed my forehead, breathing, "Never do that to me again."

It didn't remind me of Riddle, I realised. The difference laid in Sirius' scent, in the way he held me, the love in his eyes. His scent was home to me; he held me gently, as if I could break away at any time if I chose to; the love in his eyes told me that he would never hurt me. But most of all, it was the warmth of his skin; Voldemort was cold, all the time.

I had to say it; I had to accept it. He was the one for me, and he had chosen me. Even though I wanted to save him from me, he would be here for me, I realised. I looked up into his eyes and touched his face as I cried. Then, I whispered, "If it's not too late, I have to tell you – I love you too."

With a victorious smile, he bent his head and I pressed my lips to his. They were right. I didn't love Tom Riddle and I couldn't help him. I loved the man who held me in his arms.

I loved Sirius Black, and he loved me.

I was home.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – Cara**

**Research**

I stared at my sister as she kissed Sirius, my mind whirling, shocked to my very core.

Rose was back – he hadn't broken her! Seeing her in Divination had given me hope, despite her distant, careful attitude. I thought she was changed forever, back but never the same. I mean, I knew this would hurt her and make it difficult for her, but she was fighting it. She wasn't going to let Voldemort break her. She let Sirius hold her; she even admitted she loved him. I had my sister back.

Even after all she'd been through, even after all that had happened, Rose hadn't given in. A part of me told me that I should have had more faith, perhaps, but it didn't matter.

Rose was here. She sat in Sirius' arms, face buried in his chest.

When she finally looked back up, I smiled at her. She grimaced and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Good to have you back, sis," I said, laughing as a tear fell, not from sadness but this time from happiness. She laughed at me, a small smile on her lips, a real smile – not the wooden one she'd had on all day.

"It's good to be back, Ca." She reached out and we hugged. I was gentle, not wanting to break her, scare her, just wanting to let her know I was always here. We pulled apart, a mess of tears and laughter. Things were looking up: she was safe; Lily had ditched the Slytherin and got with James; Sirius and Rose were in love; and I had Remus. For a minute, everything looked perfect. Then that damned thing called reality hit. The only problem now was: how the hell could we destroy the horcrux?

As I stared at my sister, I decided that it didn't matter. We needed to know, but not today; today, Rose got to be normal, happy with her friends and family. Tomorrow, I would go to the library and find out what we needed to do. For now though, I just smiled and had one night of fun. We laughed, joked and relaxed. The tension of the last few days slipped away.

We remembered the prank we had never done on Grey (Lily and Mary Jane laughed and wanted to help). We planned it for the next day; we didn't have Defence Against the Dark Arts, so it would be the perfect time. We talked of the pranks we had played so far, the Slytherins' food and the toilets. We'd been here less than two weeks and already we had done two excellent pranks. Lily and Mary Jane laughed at the first, but when we mentioned the toilets they threw pillows at us (which, of course, led to a tiny, weeny, insy little pillow fight). They hadn't liked that, it would seem.

"You bitches!" Lily shouted, laughing as we collapsed back onto the couches. "How could you! It was-"

"Gross!" Mary Jane added, loudly, and the eight of us burst out laughing. I exchanged a grin with Rose, who seemed to get an idea.

"Rose…" I started, worried by the look on her face. She just grinned and placed a finger to her lips.

"You want to get back at us?" she asked, her voice sounding innocent – too innocent. When the girls looked intrigued she said, "Ask Cara about the time she went to the muggle pictures."

"No!" I cried out, appalled. "Oh, please Rose, please! Don't mention that!"

She laughed and the others leant in, really interested. "Feel free to elaborate, Rose," James said with a wicked grin.

She started to laugh. "It was so funny. Oh, God… Well, we were thirteen-"

"ROSE!"

She giggled and carried on, "And we decided we wanted to 'slum it with the muggles'. So we said, let's go to the pictures… And well…"

She was laughing too hard to carry on and the others looked at me. I knew my face was insanely red and I wanted to run out of the room hiding my face, but I sighed and gave in. "Alright, fine, I might have… well, I kind of screamed when… well, oh God… It was so embarrassing." I buried my face in my hands and said, "Well, we bought some popcorn and I… We were in the theatre and the pictures came on and it was a picture of a mime and…"

"And Cara is terrified of mimes!" Rose added, giggling hysterically, "So when she looked up and saw it she screamed so loudly I think she might have ruined my hearing, jumped out of her seat and threw the popcorn into the air…"

I looked up at the others, who were laughing. "And that's it."

"Liar!" she called. "That is not the end! She ran out her seat – oh, I have to set the scene. Okay, the funny picture we went to see was _not_ a scary one, and then there was this screaming, hysterical girl, and everyone around her had popcorn in their hair, and I was pissing myself laughing – and then she ran, leaping over the people – we were in the middle of the row – who sat either side of us and she hit the stairs, then she kind of tripped and fell, and went down the stairs on her side rolling over and over and-"

"And I landed at this guy's feet," I said with a sigh, "and he looked down at me and asked me, 'Would you like some more popcorn?'"

The others burst out laughing. And they laughed for about another hour. I'm not even exaggerating. Well, not much.

It was nice, as if everything was back to normal. My one wish was that it could stay like this.

My wish didn't come true, of course. In fact, things changed in the morning. I woke up early and headed straight to the library; I needed to destroy the horcrux and that would take research. I searched for hours, missing breakfast and going straight to Charms. I did the same at break, this time telling the others I had to do some homework. They didn't question me as I left. At lunch, however they were harder to fob off. I ate as quickly as possible, needing to get to the library. I stood up, grabbing my backpack and turning to say goodbye, only to see seven pairs of eyes staring at me.

"What's so urgent? We've hardly seen you all day," Remus asked, softly.

"Just some research; it's nothing important."

"Really?" his question had me flustered, I couldn't lie to them – Rose would know.

"Really." I said it with more conviction than I felt.

"Can we help?" This came, not from Remus, but Lily.

Shit. What the hell was I going to do now? I could leave it for now… "Um, sure I just wanted to find out about Merpeople. Their language and such like, I kind of want to learn Mermish." I blushed and hung my head.

"Really? Mermish of all languages. What's wrong with you; is school not hard enough?" James joked, laughing at the idea.

"You want to learn Mermish?" Rose asked slowly, staring at me. I glanced over at her, recognising her thin, pale face with a jolt. I felt guilty for lying and glanced away.

"Have you tried _Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs_?" Lily asked, getting surprised looks from the others. "What? I found it when we covered Merpeople in class. It tells you a lot." I laughed with the others.

"No I haven't, I'll try that then. Thanks. And, by the way, James, school is definitely not hard enough." With that, I sauntered of to the library. They would come when they finished lunch, so I may as well look for the book Lily had mentioned. I mean, it could be fun to learn Mermish. I already spoke Gobbledegook, so how much harder could Mermish be? The book was easy to find and, by the time they appeared, I was deeply engrossed in it. James laughed with Sirius, almost as if they hadn't been expecting me to find it interesting.

"Typical Cara," Sirius said, shaking his head at me. "Mermish. Of course."

I grinned at him and stuck my tongue out as he wrapped his arm around my sister's waist. She just looked at me oddly for a moment, before leaning into her boyfriend. I raised my eyebrows at her and she frowned, annoyed. She didn't believe me… Damn it.

Remus sat down and said softly, "Oh, you really were telling us the truth." I felt my heart break a little; he believed me and he felt bad for thinking I had lied, even though I had. I wanted to tell him the truth, but I couldn't. He was so happy right now, they all were. I would look again later, and then go to Dumbledore.

By Thursday evening, I had no luck with the library, so I made my way up to Dumbledore's office. I reached the statue guarding the stairs. Then, with no little annoyance, I realised I didn't know the password. I racked my brains, trying to remember what he had said the day we came here before. I finally remembered after five minutes of standing there, looking foolish. Toffee éclairs – that was it!

"Toffee Éclairs!" I yelled. The statue moved revealing the staircase. When I finally reached the door, Dumbledore was stood there, as if he was waiting for me.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine – Rose**

**Dreams and a Need for Occlumency**

It was Thursday evening, at dinner, when I lost patience. I knew Cara was up to something, just not what. But when she had lied to us – that _ridiculous_ lie – about learning _Mermish_, I had known that she was hiding something.

Had she forgotten that I spoke Mermish?

If she had, she was an idiot.

As she rushed off, yet again, I thought about following her, was actually on my feet to do so, and quickly decided not to as I saw Voldemort's owl flying down towards me. I stopped, abruptly, to stare at it.

The others followed my gaze, watching it with trepidation as it flew towards us. The owl landed for just long enough for me to take the letter, then flew off again. I stared at it, feeling sick.

"Don't open it," Remus suggested.

"Throw it in the fire," James agreed.

"Just ignore it," Lily told me.

I looked at Sirius and he watched me steadily. "You are going to open it, aren't you?"

I nodded and he sighed, smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Go ahead, then. We're here with you, even if you have to be dumb and torment yourself some more."

My hands were only shaking slightly as I slit the envelope open and pulled out the parchment. Sirius squeezed my shoulders and I took a deep breath and pulled it open.

_Dear Rose,_

_This round is to you, but I shall still win the game._

_Your Husband,_

_ Tom._

I stared at it for a long moment, those around me waiting for my reaction with baited breath, and then I laughed aloud. Smiling, I looked into Sirius' incredulous eyes.

"What did he put?" he demanded, confused. I grinned and shook my head.

"It's nothing important," I told him, but I showed him the letter anyway. When he finished reading, he looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"I think he was trying to be menacing, not funny," he pointed out. I simply smiled at him and took the letter back, as he explained to the others what it said. He honestly thinks he can intimidate me like this.

When we had gotten back into conversation, I said, "So," and turned to Remus. He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "What is going on with you and my sister?"

He frowned and looked away. "I don't know. She got kind of pissed off at me when you were with Voldemort," he muttered. Then he glanced back at me and his eyes were filled with worry. "I actually think I love your sister, a lot, Rose. I want to be with her and only her. I just…"

"You just?" I prodded, trying to keep him going.

"I just don't know if she wants to be with me," he explained. "I'm no good with this relationship stuff. Besides, I'll never mean as much to her as she means to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're number one in her heart, Rose," he explained with a small smile. "To Cara, you are all that matters."

"That's not true," I countered, not so much annoyed as frustrated with Cara. I knew she'd be like this the minute a relationship was even possible. "Just give her time. She'll get back to normal once this obsession is over."

"Yeah," Sirius chimed in, "What is it about Mermish that she loves so much?"

I snorted. "You guys don't honestly believe her, do you?"

They exchanged looks. "Of course we do," Lily said. "What do you think she is obsessed with?"

"That's the thing," I muttered with a frown. "I don't know. I know she was lying about Mermish and I want to know why."

"How do you know she was lying?" Sirius asked.

"Because I speak Mermish, and if she wanted to learn she would ask me to teach her," I explained absently. When no one replied, I looked at them sharply and asked, "What is it?"

"You speak _Mermish_?" Peter asked, as if that was something so unbelievable that no one could do it.

I laughed and warbled a line in the shrieking language. "That was, yes, of course I speak Mermish you land-dweller!"

The others laughed, cheerfully, and we returned to the Common Room. I knew that whatever was bothering Cara would either sort itself out, or she would come to me, so I spent the evening doing homework, and then put on an impromptu concert for the boys. We spent a fun evening together and later Cara returned, looking troubled. I didn't ask; I didn't want to bother her.

She went straight to bed. Without even looking at us.

I ignored her, and we stayed up for an hour or so more, making jokes and mocking each other mercilessly. The boys made so many jokes at Sirius' expense I thought he'd get mad, but he simply laughed and had a come back ready for each and everyone. That was one of the many things I loved about him.

I curled up against his side and James started to laugh. I glanced at him, wide-eyed, and he explained, "I'm just finding it funny because the school broom has finally settled down."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "The 'school broom'?"

"Padfoot," he said, as if that explained anything. When I still just stared at him (and Sirius seemed to get tenser by the second) James added, "You know, a school broom – one that everybody rides?"

"One that everybody rides?" I asked, looking at Sirius. He looked a little bit embarrassed. Okay, I lie, he looked a lot embarrassed.

"Thanks, Prongs," he muttered. "It's not what you think-"

"Oh?" I asked pointedly. "And how on earth would you know what I think?"

"I…" he hesitated. "Okay, fine, I had a bit of a… well, chequered past. But I've grown up-"

I burst out laughing, unable to keep a straight face any longer. "Oh, Sirius, you don't think Lily has _warned_ me? Merlin, you idiot. I don't care how many girls you've slept with in the past as long as I'm the only one you even entertain the thought of sleeping with in the present."

He grinned and kissed me, a long, slow kiss that left me breathless. He stared deeply into my eyes, with a wickedly mischievous look in his, and said, "Oh, I entertain the thought an awful lot, Miss White."

I grinned back and said, "Well, for now, that's all you'll be getting."

He sighed, as if he was disappointed, but grinned and soon we were all laughing again.

James sighed and looked at Lily with puppy-dog eyes. "Lily…"

"What is it, James?"

"Well, am I allowed to entertain the thought of sleeping with you?"

Lily went bright red and looked like she wanted to slap him. I burst out laughing, Sirius snorting beside me, Peter and Mary watching with amused dignity. I was near tears as she glared at her boyfriend. Then she smiled, leant forwards and whispered something in his ear. James went a very peculiar shade of red, bit his lip and leant forwards as she leant back.

"Hands off, Potter," she told him, an evil smile on her lips.

"But, Lily…" He leant forwards and she chuckled.

"Think with your head, not your trousers, Potter, and yeah, sure, entertain the thought of it if you want." Then she laughed again at his expression (a mixture of irritation, amusement and desire).

Later, around eleven p.m., I crawled up the stairs and dropped into bed, not taking my dreamless sleep potion for the first night since I'd got back.

_All around me, blackness ruled. I could feel cold hands running up and down my neck, and a high, cold voice, whispering, "You are a naughty girl, Rose. And naughty girls get punished."_

"No," I muttered, tossing in my bed.

"_Will you fight me, Rose?" His laugh echoed around me. "You know how I enjoy the fight…" His words seemed to echo around me too, and the whispers were everywhere I couldn't see, I could barely think; I knew I was panicking but there was nothing to do._

"Let go of me," I begged.

_The high, cruel voice laughed again, and yelled, "Crucio!"_

_I screamed, pain coursing through me, and then he released me, laughing again. His hands were on my body, his lips against my ear. "You will never escape me, Rosie. I'll always be here, waiting for you."_

_In front of me I could see red eyes, staring at me as he bent his head and moved forwards, covering my body with his. As hard as I struggled, as much as I tried to escape, he and I both knew it was inevitable that I would cave to him. He was laughing victoriously as I screamed again._

"Rose!" Someone was shaking me, but I was still locked in the throes of the nightmare. "Rose!" the voice yelled. "It's a nightmare; wake up!"

With a gasp, I sat up straight, screaming bloody murder. I looked around as I desperately struggled to escape his hands-

"Cara?" I gasped, blinking sweat out of my eyes. As I recognised her, my stomach lurched and I rolled away to vomit over the side of my bed. I felt the bed bounce and her hands were there, softly pulling my hair out of the way and stroking my back, making soothing circles on my skin.

"It's okay, Rose," she whispered. "You're not there any more. You're home, with me."

I choked on a sob and rolled back over. I met her sad eyes with my desperate ones and tried to push the fear away from me. I could still feel him inside of me…

"Oh," I gasped, realising that there was a reason for that. Instantly, I shut my eyes and clapped down on my emotions, pushing every thought away and clearing my mind. Then, I dredged up what little defences I had left to me and gave a great shove, pushing Voldemort out of my mind.

I could almost here him snarl as he lost his hold on my mind, being pushed away from me. His voice echoed back to me, saying, "_I'll see you soon…"_

I swallowed, then opened my eyes. Cara was looking at me, clearly terrified, and she was still stroking my hair.

"What is it, Rosie?" she asked in a whisper. The other girls were standing around in their pyjamas, watching us with worry etched onto their faces.

I barely managed to stop myself from snapping, "You know what it is!" and instead replied, "He was inside of my mind, making me see stuff."

She gasped in horror. "Oh, Rose! We have to stop him!"

I smiled wryly at her, amazed at how I could find humour in the situation. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

She barely suppressed a sob, and shook her head in despair. "I don't know," she wailed.

It was also amusing how at the beginning she had been comforting me, and now it was me comforting her.

"Ca, you know we'll manage; we always have," I told her. Then I glanced at Lily and the others, and asked, "What time is it?"

"Almost five," Mary Jane replied. "If you're done freaking out, I'd like to go to bed, now."

I smiled at them, and patted Cara on the shoulder. "Go back to bed, my sister. I'm going to go-"

"Take a shower," she finished with an impressively wry smile to threaten my own. She shook her head in amusement. "And you think I don't know anything about you. Just-"

I stopped her with a smile. "I won't." She didn't want me to hurt myself any more than Tom had already.

Then I stood up and left the room, grabbing my shower stuff and a set of clean robes, stopping at the door to look back and smile as my sister magically cleaned my bed for me.

She was a gem, that girl, I decided as I showered. Soon enough, I was done and dressed, and I left the dorms to go down to the common room. Cara was in the shower by this time – the other girls were desperately trying to recover what little sleep they could get – and so I was alone downstairs.

Or so I thought. Sirius sat, his head down, holding an-

Acoustic guitar?

"When did you learn to play that?" I asked him with a grin. He glanced up and blushed.

Oh, this should be good. I sat down opposite him, and he glanced away, before meeting my eyes and blushing even more as he said, "I haven't. I mean, I was trying to learn… So we could play together. I got it the day after you arrived and I've been trying to learn it for the last two weeks. I just can't get this chord right, though." He looked disheartened at that.

I smiled and moved to his side. "Here," I said, adjusting his hold slightly. "Try now."

He strummed gently, and the sound was perfect. Grinning, he looked up and kissed me. "Thank you, Rose."

"Thank you," I said back, "For trying. That is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

He looked down, abashed. "I just wanted to have one thing that might impress you."

I looked at him, shocked. "How could you think you don't impress me? Sirius, everything about you impresses me!"

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, challengingly, "Like what?"

"Like," I started, patiently, "The fact that you are the only good one in an evil family. Like your strength of character. Like your patience, like the fact that you can be the first to tell a girl you love her and not go back on that when she doesn't reply in kind. Like the fact that you rescued me, even though I was cruel to you. Like your hope," I added in a whisper, leaning forwards and placing my hand on his chest, over his heart, "And the fact that you never give up."

Then I leant in and kissed him, passionately. For a moment, I forgot everything in our pasts and presents, just hoping for a future with this boy I loved. When we broke apart, breathing heavily, I flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Your kissing impresses me, too," I added, "and the fact that you have a pretty awesome body."

He grinned and looked me up and down. "You know, you're not so bad yourself."

I kissed him again.

When we broke apart again, I teased, "What? Only 'not bad'?"

"Well," he hedged, leaning forwards until his lips were just beneath my ear. I shivered as he whispered, "I'll have to keep practising with you, won't I then?"

My breath caught as he kissed down my neck and I found myself whispering, "Merlin…"

Sirius raised his head long enough to grin at me, then began to work his way up my neck. "Was that a yes, Rose?"

"Sirius," I whispered, biting back a moan. I pulled his lips away from my neck and leant forwards, kissing him briefly. I pulled back and he tried to reach for me, but I pinned his hands together and smiled. He groaned and pushed forwards, but I pushed him back teasingly. I kissed him fiercely, letting his arms free as I snaked mine around his neck. When we came up for air, I kissed his neck, working my way up to just beneath his ear and I felt him shudder.

"Merlin, Rose," he groaned. "You're killing me here. Can I take this as a yes?"

I laughed and said, "Sure, Sirius. That _was_ a yes." Then I kissed him again, fiercely.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty – Cara**

**Apologies**

I stood in the shower, tears mingling with water. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't help her, protect her from him. Even now, even now I'd gotten her back, she still wasn't free of him.

I had to destroy the horcrux, then him – it was the only way. Until he was gone, she would still be trapped. Dumbledore hadn't been much help; he knew little more than I did. But he could help me; he knew where to find the books we needed. We were going to find out how; I could tell the others he was teaching me Mermish. I still couldn't believe they had fallen for it. Well, except possibly Rose. She had given me a strange look at lunch… and then it hit me: she had learnt Mermish years ago. She learnt that to talk to the local Merpeople when I had learnt Gobbledegook. Of course she had! I wished to talk to the goblins at Gringotts, but they didn't like to talk in English and it meant I knew what they said to each other. Rose would ask – she knew if I wanted to learn I'd have asked her. Now I needed to come up with a reason not to ask her.

Sometimes, I bemoaned my stupidity. Why couldn't I remember the simplest things?

I stood there, water pounding in my ears as I thought. It was obvious when I thought about it. I could say I didn't want to bother her right now, not after everything that had happened. That would work; I could tell her that seemed better to ask Dumbledore than to bother her right now.

I finally got out of the shower, feeling fresher and brighter than I had done in days. The hurt and worry had washed away, replaced by a newfound hope. I could do this; I could kill him. I went down the stairs to the common room, knowing Rose would be there. I reached the bottom, only to see Rose and Sirius engaged in a rather passionate embrace in the corner, a guitar on the floor next to them. My heart lifted. Rosie was finally following her heart.

I crept back up the stairs, not wanting to disturb them. I didn't return to the dormitory – I didn't want to wake the girls. Instead, I climbed to the very top of the stairs, sitting in the window seat there.

Not many people knew about it, so it was the perfect place to think. I watched the sun rise, something I used to do all the time. I don't know why I stopped, it was so beautiful. Pink and orange burnt across the sky; it was beautiful and just as I remembered. I watched, everything fading away. I remembered why I had loved this time of day, it made me forget. No matter what had happened, watching the sun come up made me forget, at least for a little while. I stayed there watching until I heard girls on the stairs.

I headed down, joining my friends. I found Rose and Sirius had been joined by the boys. James walked straight to Lily, wrapping her in a tight hug (thank Merlin those two were finally acting on their feelings). Peter and Mary Jane had done the same. Remus, however, didn't come over to me; we stood awkwardly, facing each other instead. It was my fault; I had ruined everything. I loved Rose more than him and it had ruined things. I loved him, but when it came to Rose there was nothing I wouldn't give, including my life. I had lied, put him in danger, hurt him _and_ I had only said I love you once. I needed to fix this but I didn't know how. I could have apologised but, being the idiot I am, I didn't.

"Should we go down to breakfast?" I asked, my voice bright, as if nothing was wrong. I got some strange looks but no-one said a word; it was clear that we were not talking about this. I walked down, staying as far away from Remus as I could. I loved him, but until I found a way to prove this I wouldn't talk to him. I needed to make it up to him and I was already forming a plan.

The day passed slowly, as I sat was Remus in every lesson. The silence was causing tension between us and the others didn't miss it. By the time dinner was over I wanted nothing more than to curl in a ball on my bed. It was killing me, seeing him hurt and upset and I was going to put it right. I ran up to my seat from this morning, and there under the silver moonlight I formed a way to prove I was sorry.

The next day, at breakfast, I saw his face light in wonder when an owl appeared carrying the poem I had written the night before. He read it aloud in a soft voice, his face alight with joy as he read.

_Regret flows from the depths of my soul_

_With the strength of a flood._

_I have held these gates shut for too long_

_And though tormenting, they should not be stopped._

_The thought of your anguish,_

_Even as I write to you now,_

_Stops my heart cold;_

_As well it should._

_What I see in front of me_

_Is a painting of our love,_

_Its most thoughtful brushstrokes,_

_Mottled by hurried abstraction and inattention._

_A person who had not seen this masterpiece created_

_Might think it to be refuse and pass it by unknowingly,_

_Letting it be obscured; the deep beauty of its many scenes_

_By layers of the tarnish of mistreatment_

_B__ut as the painter,_

_I see beyond the dark smears_

_To recall the hours that I attended to the details_

_And wonder how I could let it become so discoloured._

_The painting that took me my life to create_

_Has lost its divinity in my careless treatment,_

_And, even if I were to refine it,_

_I fear you would always see it as it is today._

_So today I paint a new masterpiece,_

_One inspired by the muse of respect;_

_A work that you can love through our old age,_

_One that you will look to each day for inspiration._

_This one will take some time,_

_As I want my brushstrokes to be carefully placed._

_I need to move steadily to ensure that this time,_

_My art represents my dream._

_This is my opus;_

_Don't judge me on my past works,_

_As I have never before had so much skill and inspiration,_

_And, never before, have I wanted to please you as I do today._

_With you and my children as my muse,_

_I will paint for you a lifetime;_

_A portrait of devotion and friendship,_

_A panorama of passion and admiration._

_All I ask is that you gaze upon it with an open heart_

_And you shall unquestionably love me again._1

He smiled. His eyes met mine and I knew I was forgiven, but I was not yet done apologising. At lunch, another owl appeared, again from me, this time carrying the largest box of Honeydukes chocolates and my note, which was short and simple.

_Dear Remus,_

_I'm sorry. I've been a bitch and ruined things. I want to start again, to do this properly._

_I love you more than life itself and I don't want to lose you._

_If you don't want this I understand, but if you do, meet me at sunset under the willow by the lake._

_All my love_

_Cara_

_Xxx_

I so hoped he would come, but I would have to wait and see. The rest of the day passed quickly, as I waited for sunset. I reached the lake earlier and set to wait.

1 A Love poem written by Daryl R. Swensson


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One – Rose**

**Break ups and Make ups**

I watched Cara leave the Hall patiently, her beautiful blue eyes both troubled and hopeful at the same time. Then I looked across at Remus, who was wearing the same expression.

All day long, we had been amused by the packages he had received. It was a Saturday, so we had spent the day together, all of us. Now, I knew, he would follow her outside – but not before I had a word.

I stood, abruptly, anger clouding my vision as I remembered the last chat I had had with the boy. "A word, Lupin," I demanded, my voice cold. He looked up at me and winced, apparently remembering the last chat too.

"Can't it wait?" he asked. "I have… an appointment."

I glared at him. "You think I don't know that my sister is waiting for you? Beneath the willow, probably." He blinked, surprised. I suppressed my annoyance. "I know her, Remus," I told him, sitting back down as he didn't stand up. "And I gave you the opportunity for privacy; don't forget that."

The others were watching us, amused, and James opened his mouth to speak, before Sirius cut him off. "Let her do her thing, Prongs. This is between Cara's sister and Cara's boyfriend."

"Oh," the others said, as if that explained everything. Which it kind of did.

I levelled my glare at Remus and he flinched. "Now, Lupin, I assume you remember our last talk?" My voice was cold and dispassionate, for a second reminding me of Riddle's. I flinched away from that thought and returned to glaring at Remus as he nodded. "Good. Now, do you also remember the part about _not hurting my sister_?"

This time, his nod was a bit more fearful. I couldn't blame him really; I had been known to do violent things.

"Remus Lupin," I whispered, "My sister has been going around moping for days. Neither of you will look at each other or touch each other and she sends you apologies all day, and you _still_ say nothing?"

He winced, but said nothing.

I growled under my breath and his eyes widened as my hand twitched towards my wand. The others looked wary.

"Lupin, there are many different ways to castrate someone. I know them all," I warned. The boys all crossed their legs, wincing. "That's something you learn very early in a dark family, especially if you are a girl. So you listen to me, right now, Lupin. You will go out there and you will be a gentleman. If my sister comes inside looking anything less than ecstatic, I will most certainly be responsible for my actions – and you can be certain they have been planned carefully. Understood?"

He nodded, and made his escape.

The others looked at me with newfound respect in their eyes. "I'd never known you could threaten someone like that," Lily mused.

"Mm," Mary Jane agreed. "That's very useful."

I felt myself shiver. "Not if you only learnt it because your grandparents used to speak to you like that when you were five years old," I pointed out, my voice sounding… annoyed.

Sirius wrapped his arm around my waist and smiled. "Well, your grandparents aged five is better than your parents aged three. Speaking of which, I have to go and visit them this weekend. It's messed up, but they want me home for some reason."

Everyone looked at him, worried. "Is there a particular reason?" James asked.

Sirius, looking moody, replied, "My _brother_'s birthday. Family get together. I might make it out alive."

"Do you want me to come?" I found myself asking.

He looked at me, shocked, but said, "You would do that for me?"

I smiled. "I love you," I reminded him.

"But…" He seemed at a loss for words, but as usual the other part of his brain (James) was there to finish for him. "You would walk into a dark house to spend time with wannabe Death Eaters for Sirius?"

I cocked my head and frowned. "Honestly? I didn't think of it like that." When I said that, Sirius looked disappointed. "But," I warned, "I think I would do anything for you, Sirius. Including hanging out with your family. Besides, I'm a _White_, and their boss' wife at that. They can't touch me."

Sirius looked down. "It's a kind offer, Rosie, but I have to do this alone."

I smiled at him. "Well, do it quickly. If you are back by nightfall we can go out for another midnight run."

He grinned cheekily. "Really? Exactly like last time?"

I flushed, suddenly hot as I remembered the passionate kisses from the previous run. With a mischievous glint in my eye, I promised, "Exactly like last time."

Before our little flirting match could go any further, a commotion came from outside the hall. It sounded like Cara and Remus… yelling.

"Let go of me," Cara was screaming. "I can't believe you would say that!"

"Cara, for God's sake!" Remus yelled back. "I love you, but you can't just act like that will fix everything. It won't!"

I stood, anger coursing through me, and moved out of the hall, the others at my heels. Quietly, I took out my wand and pointed at Remus, where he was holding my sister by her arms and forcing her to look at him.

"I would let go of her now, if I were you, Lupin," I said, lazily. My wand arm was straight and steady and he winced, dropping her. "Now, if you two insist on having arguments, do you have to make them dinnertime entertainment?"

Cara blushed and looked away, blinking tears out of her eyes. "Well, what do you expect me to say, Remus? I love you, but you know she has to come first."

Just then, the reason they were arguing clicked in my mind and I dropped my wand, exasperated. "Oh, fuck."

Everyone turned to look at the stunned expression on my face. "Cara, sometimes, you can be the ultimate dick, you know that?"

She looked at me, shocked and confused. "What do you mean?"

"This whole argument is about Remus not wanting you to come and rescue me, and therefore endanger yourself, right?" The two nodded, exchanging glances. "First off, that is a ridiculous reason to make yourselves miserable. I fully do not expect to ever go back to him, and if I ever do, while a rescue would be appreciated, it should only be performed after due consideration and planning. And stop being idiots. For God's sake, Ca, I've been threatening to castrate him for making you miserable!"

Everyone laughed at that, even the arguing couple. The glanced at each other again, then Remus broke and said, "Oh, Ca, I love you so much. If you feel the need to go off rescuing again, at least take me with you, okay?"

She smiled and kissed him softly. "That I can promise. I love you too."

Smiling, I took Sirius' arm to leave the couple to their make-up.

When Saturday rolled around again, I'd finally managed to change Sirius' mind and I was going with him for Regulus' birthday (it had taken an awfully long time, a lot of kisses and a promise of two more midnight runs, and something like James coming over and saying, in a very exasperated tone, 'Padfoot, stop being a dick and take her. You can't manage alone.'). I'd managed to pick out a gift for the young Slytherin from the pair of us (Sirius didn't want to even think about getting his brother something), and I'd ordered it from Flourish and Blotts. Sirius had, however, paid for it, saying it was only right for him to pay as I'd bothered to find it.

I dressed that morning, putting on one of my floor-length dresses, this one in a silver-grey colour with pretty embroidery. It was beautiful and simple, and I hated putting it on. But I found that I was very willing to do anything for Sirius. How horrible romantic.

He smiled when I came downstairs, holding the wrapped present and my cloak. He was dressed in formal robes, black with scarlet trim (showing Gryffindor pride). He reached forwards and kissed me, whispering against my lips, "You look beautiful."

I smiled at him, and replied, "And you look handsome." Then I pulled on my cloak and he took my arm, leading me up to Dumbledore's office, where Regulus was waiting for us, looking moody.

I could feel Sirius stealing himself, but I had decided to act the proper part of the pureblood girl, so I jumped forwards and hugged the young boy, kissing him on both cheeks. "Happy Birthday, Regulus!" I said, smiling.

He flushed and smiled back at me, shooting nervous glances at his moody-looking brother. I stepped back, took Sirius' hand, and said, "Shall we?"

Regulus nodded, then led the way up the stairs into Dumbledore's office. He wasn't there as we went inside, but the floo powder was waiting for us, so one by one we took a handful, threw it into the place, and shouted, "12 Grimmauld Place!"

I shot out of the fire place into Regulus' waiting arms. He smiled as I caught myself, struggling to stand up straight. He smiled again and released me, saying softly, "Don't worry; everyone falls over first time in this place."

I smiled as Sirius clambered out of the fireplace behind us, and I stepped back to take his hand. He still looked moody, but shot me a worried look.

"Are you going to be okay with all of this?" he asked me softly, as Regulus opened the kitchen door and led us up the stairs into a thin hall, the walls covered in portraits.

"I'm fine," I told him. "I'm with you."

"Regulus!" a woman cried as he opened the door to a parlour. Walburga Black was tall and thin, haughty looking, with black hair, grey eyes – like her sons' – and a straight nose. She wrapped her arms around him, crying happily, "Happy Birthday, my Prince!"

Sirius made a face at me behind his Mother's back.

Orion Black walked out of the parlour behind his wife and embraced his son as well, after his wife released him. "Happy Birthday, son," he said.

"Thanks, Mum, Dad," he said.

The two adults turned to us, staring at us with calculating eyes. Sirius cleared his throat and said stiffly, "Mother, Father, this is my girlfriend, Rose White."

Walburga's eyebrows rose into her hairline, or near enough. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Did you say your name was Rose White?" Orion asked at the same time.

I smiled. "Mr Black, Mrs Black, it is a pleasure to meet you," I said softly, moving forwards to shake their hands. "I am Rose White."

Walburga smiled and clasped my hands between hers. "Miss White, it is a pleasure to meet you too. You… you are from the illustrious White family?"

I smiled and pulled my hands back, uncomfortable. "Yes." Then I looked over at the two brothers, who both looked very uncomfortable. I shot them a glowing smile and turned back to their parents. "You should be very proud of your sons, Mrs Black."

Walburga looked vaguely shocked as she moved back into the parlour, offering me a seat. "I am, of course, excessively proud of my boy."

I noticed the use of the singular, not plural, and forced myself not to react. Instead, I took the seat next to Sirius and took his hand. "Regulus, of course, is very worthy of your pride. I know how well he is doing in school, and he plays quidditch like a professional," I told them, smiling at the young boy, who looked down, abashed.

He cleared his throat. "Rose is being too kind," he muttered. "I have a long way to go yet."

"Don't be so modest," I told him with a smile. Then I looked back at Walburga and Orion. "Your other son can be accused of that, too."

He glanced up at me with an impassive face, but looked away again quickly.

I squeezed his hand gently, then turned to his parents, and said earnestly, "Sirius is one of the bravest, kindest, most noble you men I have ever met. I am honoured to be able to spend time with him."

Walburga looked taken aback at that, but Orion smiled coldly. "Shall we open presents, Regulus?"

The young boy smiled, and his parents handed him present after present. He unwrapped them and thanked his parents for each one in his quiet voice. When he was done, I pulled out the present, unfortunately wrapped in red and gold, and handed it over. Sirius looked at it with a small smile, mainly aimed at the wrapping, I thought.

Regulus raised his eyebrows at his brother, looking shocked. When Sirius remained impassive and said nothing, I said, "It took us a little while to find something. Sorry about the paper, it was all we had."

Regulus smiled at me, and said softly, "Thank you. I'm just a little surprised… You see, Sirius has hardly ever chosen me something himself."

"Rose chose it," Sirius said stiffly.

"And Sirius paid for it," I added, elbowing him with a little smile. He smiled down at me, and wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning down to kiss my head.

"Rose is a good influence on me," he told his parents. "She's taught me how much family really matters."

His parents looked shocked at that, and to cover the awkward silence, Regulus ripped into the present. Inside was a set of three quills and two leather bound books. The notebooks had his name embossed into the front, and the quills each had his initials – R.A.B – carved into them. One was black, with black ink, one was green with green ink and one was silver, with silver ink that, if you twisted the nib, turned into invisible ink. He grinned at us.

"These are brilliant," he said. "Thank you so much, Rose, Sirius."

I smiled and stood up, embracing him tightly. "Happy Birthday, Regulus."

His grin widened as I pulled Sirius up, forcing him into his brother's arms. The two hugged, briefly, and then Sirius took his place beside me. "So, what now?"


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two – Cara**

**Horcruxes and Dancing**

I was sat in the little window seat at the top if the tower yet again. It had become my sanctuary; no-one else knew of it, therefore it was mine. Once again, I was writing in my newly found place; this time, though, it was an essay and not a poem I was writing. This time I was full of happiness, not sorrow.

The meeting at the lake hadn't gone that well; in fact it was Rose who had brought us back together. It had started well, but sadly it ended with us screaming at each other outside the Great Hall. If Rose hadn't come and knocked some sense into me, I might have lost him for good. It was all my fault (no change there) for telling him Rosie came first. It was the truth, but that hadn't been the answer he wanted. I loved him, yes, but Rose was the only family I had left. I just kept on messing up, again and again. I went there to make it up with him and nearly ruined it all. It was a good job I had a twin to help me.

Still, we were on track now and he knew I loved him, even if I was an idiot. I'd missed his warm arms around me, protecting me; they made me feel safe and loved. I had missed silly things, like the way he sneaked me looks in class and the way he held my hand when we walked. I had missed him, but I couldn't admit it. We'd been back together a week now and I was finally happy. The stress and worry almost disappeared; I even stopped worrying over the horcrux constantly, but I still needed to destroy it.

I looked through the window at the setting sun and saw Remus walking with Madam Pomfrey towards the whomping willow. It was the first night of the change and he had been anxious all day. He really hated what he was; he even made me promise not to come with the boys later. I had promised reluctantly, as it bothered him more than me. I accepted him just as he was, but he didn't accept himself. I wanted to follow him, to hold his hand, but I didn't. He didn't want me right now; he needed to think I was safe and he didn't think he was. I hated it, but I would do it for him; in fact I would do almost anything for him. Rose was gone (it was Regulus' birthday and she was with Sirius for support), so I couldn't talk to her. I missed her. I needed someone to talk to, but Lily and Mary Jane were with James and Peter. So I was alone, everyone was with someone except me, I was once again alone.

I turned back to my charms essay; it was easy but kept me distracted. When I next turned, I had finished my essay and started to read the book on horcruxes Dumbledore had given me the other day, _Secrets of the Darkest Art_. The book was heavy in my hands as I reached to open it. I found the chapter on horcruxes and started to read.

_A Horcrux is a powerful object in which a Dark wizard or witch has hidden a fragment of his or her soul for the purpose of attaining immortality. Creating one Horcrux gives one the ability to resurrect oneself if the body is destroyed; the more horcruxes one creates, the closer one is to true immortality. Creating multiple Horcruxes is suggested to be costly to the creator, by both diminishing their humanity and even physically disfiguring them._

That was not what I needed; I already knew what a horcrux was. I skipped forward a few pages, past the origins and creation, until I saw the word 'destruction' heading the page. This was what I was looking for – a way to destroy what he had created. I was hopeful again; this could be what we need to kill him once and for all. I could do this, I would do this. I read on, more determined than ever to finish this.

_Horcruxes can also be destroyed by others, seeing as the piece of the soul depends upon its container to survive, the opposite of a human being. Destruction of a Horcrux is difficult, but not impossible, and requires that the receptacle to be damaged completely beyond physical or magical repair. When a Horcrux is damaged to this point, it may appear to "bleed" and a scream may be heard as the soul fragment perishes. It is unknown if the creator of the Horcrux will be able to sense that his soul fragment was destroyed. All known methods of Horcrux destruction are as deadly as the creation. For example, the earliest known method is administering basilisk venom to the Horcrux, the procurement of which is next to impossible. Other known methods are Fiendfyre, which requires extreme skill to control and the Killing Curse (extremely Dark magic) which is capable of destroying a Horcrux if it is animate._

Well, at least I knew what I needed to do now; sadly it was not going to be easy. I got down from my seat, gathered my things and went to find Dumbledore. At least if I told him what I had found out we could come up with a plan. I rushed to his office, not wanting the others to see me. I reached his office without meeting anyone and I ran up the stairs, the book clutched to my chest. I knock and the door opened.

"Good evening Cara, how may I help you?" Dumbledore's voice came from the window; he seemed to be expecting me as always – nothing took him by surprise.

"Sir, I found out how to destroy it, but it won't be easy."

"Well, what do we need to do?"

"Well, there are three ways, but only two could work with the cup. One is to out basilisk venom into it and the other is to use Fiendfyre," I looked at him as I spoke and saw that he looked like I felt. This was not going well, not at all.

"Very well Cara, thank you for telling me; I will see what I can do." With that he opened the door and I left feeling disheartened.

I walked backed to the common room, wishing I could go and see Remus. Right now I needed to feel his arms around me, but I would have to wait. I reached the common room, and knew instantly Rose was back from the beautiful music flowing through the room. I walked in and saw the common room was almost empty due to the late hour, just my friends and Rose.

Without Remus here, I felt lost among the couples. I couldn't bear sitting there with them, so instead I gave myself over to the music. I danced as Rose played her beautiful melodies; I whirled around with a grace I never had in everyday life. I forgot everything and focused on the music. It could have lasted hours or minutes, but I wouldn't have known the difference for in that moment I was free. The music finally came to an end; I stopped, suddenly breathless and sat in front of the fire. My friends clapped for us and started to talk.

"Wow! You never said you could dance," James exclaimed. I smiled and laughed.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," was my cheeky reply. They all laughed, but continued to stare at me in wonder. Then they asked more questions about my dancing, which I answered, although I now wished to be back in the window seat. I was not one for the lime light.

"Ca, will you teach me?" Lily asked once everyone had stopped paying attention. I looked at her, seeing hope and wonder in her eyes I nodded. If she wanted to learn I would try to teach her.

The boys left not long after to see Remus. It hurt to watch them go where I couldn't, but Rose wrapped her arms around me when they left and whispered, "Tomorrow, you can see him tomorrow." She was right, as always. It was only a few short hours until I could see him. I forced a smile, before replying to her.

"I know you're right, now how about you tell us all about your day with Sirius, Rosie." She smiled, a blush creeping up her face. This was going to be interesting, whatever it was. I just hoped it would cause me to go mad at Sirius. She didn't answer me for a moment, but when she did I wished she hadn't.

"I'll tell you when you tell us why you lied about learning Mermish." Shit, I hoped that was forgotten.

"Fine, I'll tell you." There was no point in not; she would find out sooner or later. "I've been researching how to destroy the horcrux. I've found out how, but it's not easy; in fact, it's nigh on impossible. Dumbledore's been helping out and I didn't tell you because you were finally getting better. Okay?" I looked at Rose when I finished. She clearly hadn't been expecting that.

Her face went very pale, very quickly, and she took a deep steadying breath. For a moment she shut her eyes, as if she was fighting something back. I reached for her, but her eyes flashed open and glared at me. "Cara, you are a bloody arse. Next time you're going to tell me what is going on. Okay?"

"Yeah, I promise," I hugged her and we made up. It was nice; I didn't have to lie to her about it anymore. "Right, Rosie spill," I said laughing. She blushed again but sat back and began her story.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three – Rose**

**A Full Moon Night**

I smiled as the girls around me settled in for the story. Most people didn't know much about Sirius' family, and I knew why.

"Well," I started, "It was alright at first. We got there and Regulus was a gentleman, and then I met their parents."

"What were they like?" Mary Jane asked, her interest piqued.

I grimaced. "They treated Sirius like he wasn't part of the family, but someone forced upon them. Walburga fawned over Regulus and claimed he was her only son for the start, and Orion pretty much glared at Sirius for the whole morning. Regulus liked his present, though, so a bit of it was worth it.

"Then, after we sat down for lunch, they had a bit of a party." I shuddered, staring into the dancing flames. "There were so many Death Eaters there. Avery, Nott, Yaxley, Rookwood… They were all there, and when they saw me they bowed and began to fawn over me. Everyone wanted to know why, so Avery pretty much announced me as Riddle's wife."

The other girls gasped and their expressions ranged from sympathetic, to irritated, to pretty much angry (that was Cara).

"After that, Walburga came over to me and was fawning around, trying to make me comfortable. Sirius looked like he was about to punch Avery, so I had to say something…"

"And what did you say, exactly?" Cara asked from between her teeth.

I smirked. "Something like, 'while I may be married to the man you know as the Dark Lord, that is nothing but a legal arrangement. I am here tonight, with Tom's blessing, as Sirius' partner, and a friend of Regulus'.'"

"And what did they say to that?" Lily asked, looking amused.

"Well, they pretty much said nothing, just kind of… did what I said. It was horrible." Here I shuddered. "But then…"

"And then?" all three asked together, looking excited.

"Then the music started," I explained with a small smile, "And Sirius asked me to dance. And, in the middle of the dance floor, Sirius said to me, 'Rose, I know I've only known you for three weeks, but I can't imagine my life without you. So, keeping that in mind, I want to give you this.' Then he pulled a little velvet box out of his pocket, about the size of a ring box."

The girls gasped, looking excited. My smile widened and I reached up around my neck, pulling out the chain that used to hold the ring Tom Riddle gave me. Now, it held a gold ring, with a ruby set in it, surrounded by tiny diamonds. It was stunning.

"You're engaged?" Cara shrieked, jumping up.

"Not exactly," I hedged. "I'm already married," I then pointed out. She shrugged, muttering something that sounded like 'yeah, bullshit'. I smirked at her. "It's a promise ring, one that represents our commitment to a life together. Normally, it would mean a promise to get engaged and then to get married. For us, it's a commitment to be together for as long as we can. In a way, it means more than an engagement ring, or at least it does to me. It means that Sirius accepts my past and my baggage, and is willing to be with me despite that."

"Really?" Cara whispered, staring at the ring. "Then why aren't you wearing that?"

I shrugged. "We wanted to tell you lot first, before we make it official and everyone swarms around, asking what it means. You know?"

She looked a little annoyed, but nodded. "So, you had an alright day then?"

"Did I say that was the end?" I asked them with a smile. "I never explained how Sirius got that black eye, did I?"

"He had a black eye?" Cara asked, confused.

"I healed it when we got back here," I explained, giving her a long look. What was wrong with her? "Well, after that happened, everyone was watching us – I kind of jumped up and hugged him, really happy. Then… Well, Yaxley hauled him off me and thumped him."

"What?" all three asked, looking horrified. "Yaxley the Death Eater?" Mary Jane asked.

I nodded, amused. "So I pulled out my wand and blasted him away from Sirius, and everyone was screaming and running around. The Death Eaters were all running around straight towards us, but then little Regulus steps in front of his brother and yells at everyone to stop. Then he said, 'If my brother and Rose wish to be together, and have the Dark Lord's permission, then who are you to question them? Not only are they both from very old, pure-blood families, but Rose is our queen in many ways.'"

"And what happened next?" Lily demanded.

I grinned. "Everyone backed down, and I turned on them, kind of angry. I think they expected me to curse them all, and I nearly did, but Sirius stopped me. He said, 'You'll regret it later.' And he was right. So, instead of cursing them, I just took his hand and turned to glare at the Death Eaters. They kind of cringed back."

"What did you say?" Cara asked.

"I said, 'If any of you hold any respect in your hearts, then you will never touch this man again. If any of you fear me, then you will never even look at him again, for you know that if you do, my wrath will fall upon you and you will never stop regretting it.' And then I took him away to the kitchen, said goodbye to Regulus, and brought him back here."

The girls grinned. "So you had an eventful day, then?" Cara asked, her voice stiff. I glanced at her, then looked at the other two and jerked my head upstairs. Instantly, the two made their hasty goodnights and left.

Cara looked a little surprised, but then looked back at me and understood. She grimaced. "What?"

I gave her a level look. "I could ask you the same question."

She looked away. Then sighed and spoke up, as I knew she would. "Alright, fine. I'm just a little upset because you and Sirius are so in love, and James and Lily, and Mary Jane and Peter, and then there is Remus and I who, though back together, have all of this between us and he doesn't want me there on the full moon-"

"Oh," I interrupted, understanding. "I get it. You're upset because you aren't there tonight, aren't you?"

She blushed. "Of course I am."

"Then let's go," I said with a grin, pulling her to her feet. "Come on!"

"I promised," she hesitated.

I grinned evilly. "Well, just claim I kidnapped you if he gets upset."

"He doesn't want me to get hurt," she muttered, but I ignored her and grabbed her hand, pulling her from the school. With a quick word and a tap of my wand, we were both invisible, and we crept from the school.

Down in the forest, I listened for the howling of the wolf that I knew was there. As I listened, I returned us to visibility and changed into the black fox with a thought. Cara joined me and I smelt the trail, turning and running into the forest. Cara followed me until we reached a clearing.

In the clearing, three animagi and a werewolf were running around, playing. Padfoot and the Wolf were rolling around, nipping at each other and making little growling laughs. Prongs stood, occasionally joining in, and Wormtail was running around, trying to avoid being stepped on. As we entered, the playing stopped and they looked up.

With a bark, Padfoot ran to my side, licking me and chasing me around. The Wolf stared at the White Fox behind me, and she stared back. Slowly, we all stopped moving to stare at the two of them. For a long moment, no one moved.

Then the Wolf moved forwards, slowly and hesitantly, and bent his long nose to touch hers. She sniffed him back, then moved forwards and rubbed her face against hers. The Wolf stiffened, then bowed his head and rubbed it against her.

Then we played the night away, before returning the Wolf to the Shrieking Shack and hurrying back up to the common room to fall into bed.

Thank God it was Sunday.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four – ****Cara**

**Hogsmeade**

Smiling, I crashed into bed. Tonight had been amazing. I wasn't tired, just glad that Rose had gotten me to break the promise. We had played together for hours, running around and nipping each other. It was Sunday and the first Hogsmeade visit of the year; we would be going out, but not till later. Remus would not be coming with us, but we planned to visit him later on in the day.

I looked at the clock on the wall, which showed that it was half-past eight. I rolled over and got out of bed. I couldn't sleep, so there was no point in trying. I glanced around at the sleeping girls, thinking that they looked peaceful. I slipped out of the room quietly, not wanting to disturb them. I showered quickly and got dressed, before slipping up to my seat. There I read my book on Mermish; I had decided to learn it after all.

At about nine, I heard noises down on the stairs – the girls were up. I left my spot and walked down to join them. Lily and Mary Jane were sat in the armchairs in front of the fire, but Rose was nowhere to be seen. I guess she was tired after the adventures of last night. I sat down opposite them smiling. "Morning girls," I said cheerily.

"Morning, Ca. You're up early," Lily replied and Mary Jane just smiled sleepily. Mary Jane was not a morning person, and Lily wasn't much better. I smiled at my sleepy friends.

"So what's the plan for today?"

"Um, we go when the others finally get up I guess," Mary Jane said yawning. I laughed as Rose appeared, looking tired.

"Where are the boys? I want to head off early," she asked. We pointed to the ceiling. "Really? Well, I think it's time to go and wake them, then." Rose had a mischievous grin on her face as she bounded up the stairs. We followed in time to see her pouring water on Sirius' head. We laughed as he coughed and spluttered.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Sirius yelled, waking James, Peter and Frank. They sat up, looking around at Sirius, who was soaked and confused. Rose leaned over, kissing him and murmuring in his ear. He calmed down but still looked pissed off. Lily bounded over to James and Mary Jane to Peter. I stood awkwardly, looking at Remus' empty bed. I turned, suddenly needing to see him. The others were too wrapped up to notice me disappearing. I ran down the stairs and carried on running until I reached the willow. I pressed the knot in the trunk and slipped down the tunnel. Remus was curled in a ball on the bed sleeping, I watched him a smile creeping over my face.

As if he had sensed me he woke, our eyes meeting. "Morning, Moony, I didn't mean to wake you." I spoke softly, walking towards the bed. I sat down smiling at him; he had shadows under his eyes and a cut across his cheek.

"Morning, Ca. What are you doing here?" He sat up as he spoke, his arms snaking around me. I snuggled closer, breathing in his scent. It was sweet, almost floral, mixed with something spicy, smoky. It was entirely Remus.

"I missed you, so I thought I'd come and visit." I reached up and kissed him as I finished. He pulled away looking at me.

"You broke your promise, Ca." He sounded heartbroken, disappointed. I didn't know what to say.

"Rose made me go. She saw how sad I was when the boys left and dragged me down. I thought it was okay, I thought you were happy last night with me. I only did it because I needed to see you. I needed to see that you were okay. I'm sorry that you don't like it but would you stay away if that was me?" He didn't look at me; in fact, he turned away completely.

"You're right. It's just that I keep expecting you to run, to want nothing more to do with me. I'm waiting for you to realise I'm a monster."

"You are not monster, never. I know you don't believe it, but you're not. So you're a werewolf, it wasn't your choice. You don't give into that part of you, you fight it. You're a fighter, not a monster. A monster wouldn't fight it; a monster wouldn't hate what he is. You are wonderful, brave and the man I love," I finished and turned his face. "You are not a monster, Remus Lupin, and I love you just the way you are." I kissed him again and this time he didn't fight it. We stayed there, lying in each other's arms until the others appeared.

"Hey, next time tell us where you're going. We searched everywhere," Rose scolded me. I mumbled an apology. It wasn't deliberate; I hadn't meant for them to worry. Remus went in to the other room to change into clean clothes before we headed into Hogsmeade. Remus had decided to come with us, after all.

The village was full of students walking in the fresh September air. It was a warm sunny day, so we decided instead of shopping or going to The Three Broomsticks we would go for a walk. It was glorious. We came back to the high street for lunch. We argued about where to eat before settling on Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. When we had all finished, we split up. The boys headed for Zonko's while we headed for Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop (for Mary Jane who was running out of quills) and then Tomes and Scrolls (Rose and I needed a new book to read). We had agreed to meet in Honeydukes. We would have been done quickly had it not been for me and Rose – we had to be dragged from the book shop by Lily and Mary Jane. When we did finally get to Honeydukes, the boys were nowhere to be seen so we went off to search for them.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-five – Rose**

**The Traitor Revealed**

Sighing, I glanced up and down the High Street. The girls stood behind me, looking around for the boys, but I had a bad feeling that we weren't going to find them like this. I thought for a moment, then turned to my sister.

"Why would they not be here to meet us?"

She shrugged. "We did take a long time in the book shop. Maybe they got bored waiting for us and went off."

The other girls looked like they agreed, but I knew Sirius would never leave me behind if I was taking too long. It had to be for another reason. "Guys, I think they might be in trouble."

"What would give you that impression?" Lily asked, amused. "They probably just got bored; you know what boys are like. Especially the marauders," she added as an afterthought.

I paced back and forth, trying hard to work out why they wouldn't be there. Cara shot me an amused look. "Rose, don't be so worried. I'm sure everything's fine-"

"Everything. Is. Not. Fine!" I spat. I didn't know why I was so worried; all I knew was there was a ball of fear inside my chest and it had something to do with the boys not being there. Swallowing, I turned away and stared into the distance, to where I knew the Shrieking Shack lay.

And like that, I knew where they were. I took off, running towards the Shack, leaving the others floundering about in my wake.

I ran through the woods, passed the trees, and came skidding to a halt when I saw Remus haul back and punch Sirius in the face.

"What the hell?" I shouted, moving forwards again instinctively as Sirius moved as if to punch Remus back. I jumped in between them as Cara and the others arrived, pushing Sirius behind me with a stern look. "Does someone want to explain this?"

The two boys glared at each other, breathing heavily, and Sirius wiped blood off of his lip where it was dripping down. "You're a bastard," Sirius snapped.

Remus looked at him, anger obvious on his face. "You're a bastard!" he snapped back. "How dare you accuse me of that?"

"Accuse you of what?" Cara asked as she hurried to his side, her hand on his shoulder. "Remus?"

"Remus is the traitor," Sirius spat.

Shocked, I spun to stare at Remus, my sister's boyfriend. I would never have believed…

"Remus?" Cara asked in a whisper. The boy in question stopped glaring at Sirius long enough to look at her and shake his head.

"It's not me, Ca. I promise. If it's anyone, it's the Death Eater's son over there," he accused, pointing at Sirius.

"ME?" Sirius roared. "Stop lying you little bastard! I would never hurt Rose!"

"And I would never hurt Cara!" Remus shouted back. They looked like they were about to come to blows again.

"So why were you talking to that Slytherin?" Sirius yelled. "You're a traitor! A bastard traitor!"

"I AM NOT!" Remus roared. I took a step back, fighting back tears as I met Cara's gaze. She looked worriedly between the two and said, "I believe you, Remus."

"You were talking with a Slytherin?" I asked him, softly.

"You were yesterday," he snapped back. I'd never realised how betrayal could feel…

"Let's go, Sirius," I said quietly.

Paling, Remus looked at me. "Rose, you can't believe this-"

I shook my head. "I don't know what to believe, but I know that someone here works for him. I don't know who, but I know that he knows everything we've done."

"I would never-"

I stared at him. "You haven't exactly always been behind us, have you? You didn't want Cara to rescue me. You don't want us to go and find the other horcruxes."

He stared at me, shock written across his face. "Rose, I wouldn't betray you! I wouldn't betray Cara!"

"How do I know that?" I asked him, hurt written across mine. "I want to trust everyone here. I want to pretend that there isn't a traitor. But I can't and there is. Who else would you say it would be, Remus?"

He glared at Sirius. "He's a Death Eater!"

"You're a Death Eater, you-"

"Enough!" I snapped. Then I looked at my sister, who was staring at me.

"Rose, it's not him," she stated. I kept my gaze unreadable.

"Cara, I love you. And I'm sorry. But I don't believe you. And…"

"And what?" she asked, heartbreak in her voice.

"And I don't trust you any more, either. I know you've been keeping things from me. I don't want to believe it, anymore than I want to hurt you, but…"

"But what?" she asked angrily. "You believe I am the traitor?"

I swallowed my tears and looked away. "I don't know."

She sobbed, then grabbed Remus' arm. "Let's go, Remus. We aren't wanted here any more. We aren't a part of this lot any more."

She took his arm and the two of them stormed away, leaving silence in their wake.

James was the first to move. He put his arm around Lily's waist and pulled her to his chest as she began to cry. "I don't believe it! It can't be Remus, or Cara, it can't!"

"I know, Lils," he whispered back. "I know."

Mary Jane and Peter had their arms around each other, too, and I knew in that instant what was wrong. I laughed.

Everyone turned and stared at me, looking on in confusion as I laughed my head off. It was all so funny, wasn't it? Because my sister and Remus would never betray me. I loved my sister more than my own life, and I had just hurt her irreparably.

"What's so funny?" Sirius asked me, confused.

"Oh, we are all so stupid," I explained. "It wasn't them. They aren't the traitors."

"What?" the others all asked me at once. They looked… confused, angry, miserable, all at once.

"Cara would never betray me," I told them in a whisper. "Neither would Remus."

"Are you saying you believe him, that I'm the Death Eater?" Sirius asked, hurt. I shook my head.

"Of course not. Don't you remember the prophecy?" Then I turned to look at Peter, who looked terrified. The young boy had always seemed like a hanger-on. He wasn't part of the group, yet he couldn't leave either, because he knew too much. He tried to speak, but I cut him off, quoting, "The Rat will be first to run."

He dropped Mary Jane, pulling away from her as everyone turned to stare at him. He was shaking from fear.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, his voice higher than usual due to his fear.

"Yes, you do," I whispered as I stalked forwards, my hand drawing my wand. "Peter Pettigrew, you know exactly what I mean, you little rat." He backed away from me, but I reached out and grabbed his arm. He winced, trying to pull away as I slowly drew back his sleeve, to reveal…

"The dark mark," James whispered, his voice sickened. "Oh, Pete."

Peter stood for a moment, staring into my eyes, then whispered. "Power is all that keeps you alive."

I whispered back, "Better dead than dark."

And he shot a spell at me, throwing me backwards as he transformed and ran away, leaving us behind in his wake. That was when I knew I had changed things irreparably.

"Oh crap," I muttered, struggling to stand up. "How am I going to explain to Cara?"


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six – Cara**

**The Split Between Sisters**

I ran, pulling Remus with me, my tears streaming. How could she think that? I would never betray her, neither would Remus. I hadn't believed it was Sirius, yet she doubted me in an instant. It hurt me more than anything; the others doubting me I could forgive, but my own sister? That was something else entirely. She would believe a boy we'd known a few weeks over me, her own bloody _twin_. We reached the school, both shaking with anger at the injustice of it. How dare she call me a traitor? Who was it that rescued her? Who was it that tried to protect her from him? Who looked after her when she ran? Who is that has always been there for her? Yet she shoves me away, calling me a traitor to defend him. I never doubted her or Sirius, and even if I had I would have listened to them not push them away as traitors.

"I'm sorry, Ca; this is my fault," Remus said, stopping to face me.

"NO! This is their fault; they chose not to believe us. This is not your fault, okay?" I nearly screamed at him. They had done this and now he felt guilty for it; it was just wrong. Remus didn't reply, instead, he turned at the sound of footsteps. I turned, my long hair whirling around me. It was Rose, closely followed by Sirius, James, Lily and Mary Jane. Peter was nowhere to be seen, but I didn't care. My eyes were focused on Rose. I wasn't staying here to be accused of things I'd never do. I turned, pulling Remus with me. "Come on, I'm not in the mood for this," I said as we walked back to the castle.

"Cara! Wait!" Rose yelled. I paused. "Please, I just want to talk." What the hell? Ten minutes ago she had called me a traitor and now she wanted to talk. Really, well, that wasn't happening. I'd had enough. I carried on as she shouted from behind, calling for me to stop, to wait, to listen. She ran up when the shouting failed. She got right in front of us, determined to speak to me. I gave in – I would stop but I wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"WHAT? HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH?" I screamed at her, my anger at her finally boiling over. "WHY COME OVER? DIDN'T YOU HURT ME ENOUGH EARLIER?"

"Ca I just wanted to tell you-" she started but I interrupted.

"JUST WANTED TO TELL ME WHAT? THAT I'M A TRAITOR, A LIAR, OR WAS THERE SOMETHING ELSE? COME ON THEN, WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAD TO TALK TO THE TRAITOR?"

"Ca, I'm sorry! You're not the traitor-"

"I KNOW THAT!"

"I realised as soon as you left that I got it wrong. It wasn't you, or Remus. The Rat will be first to run, Peter. He was the traitor. I'm so sorry I blamed you."

"WHAT! NOW YOU THINK THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE? YOU STILL THOUGHT I WOULD DO THAT! AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU, YOU STILL BELIEVED I COULD DO THAT! WELL I'M DONE! I CAN'T STAY WHERE I'M NOT TRUSTED." With that I turned on my heel and ran back to the castle. Remus had stayed, unsure; he wanted to comfort me but at the same time he wanted to hear about Peter. He wanted to make up – they were his friends; he could forgive them. In fact, I forgave the others, but Rose, I couldn't forgive her. She was my sister. The one person who should have been on my side was the one suspecting me. After a few moments hesitation, he followed me and together we walked towards the castle. It was still early, so most people were still in Hogsmeade and the halls were silent. It was nice to be somewhere quiet after that. We walked back to the common room, choosing to sit in an armchair in the corner. We sat there in silence for a while, just holding each other. I may have lost my sister, the one person I counted on always being there, but I had Remus, who loved me more it would seem.

"Ca, are you okay?" Remus asked me softly, kissing the top of my head.

"I'm okay now; it just hurt to have her turn from me."

"It's going to be alright we'll sort it out with them all. I promise."

"I'm not mad at the others, only Rose. She's my sister. She was meant to be on my side, but she wasn't. It hurt me and I don't know if I can forgive her," I admitted, before moving closer, letting the tears I had held in fall.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but it felt safe and we had no intention of moving. Well, that was until she came in. Rose headed straight for us, trying to explain once more, but I was up and gone before she reached us. I rushed up the stairs, up to my secret place. I felt bad for leaving Remus behind, but he wanted to hear them out anyway.

I heard Rose on the stairs, searching the dormitory for me. Part of me wanted to go down, to tell her it was okay, but I couldn't – not after this. Instead, I sat, looking out. It was nearly dinner time, so I headed down.

Remus smiled when he saw me. The others were sat in our usual spot, minus Rose. I walked over as he stood, getting ready to leave. I wrapped an arm around his waist and we set off together.

"Ca, do you want to go to the shack so you don't have to see Rose?" Remus asked as we headed to the hall for dinner. I smiled as I agreed; I was touched he'd sleep in the place he hated to make me happy.

We ate slowly, not wanting to see the others. When we finally got back to the common room they were gone, so we curled up together until everyone else had and only then did we head down to the shack. When we reached it, Remus shuddered, having to force himself not to turn around, before walking in, holding my hand. We reached the bedroom and crashed on the bed. I hadn't slept last night and I was exhausted, so I curled up with Remus and fell asleep almost immediately.

When I woke, early the next morning, Remus' arms were still around me and I could see the sun rising through the dirty window. I smiled down at my sleeping boyfriend and gently kissed him. He woke up with a smile on his face. I slipped out of bed and padded over to the window.

"Waking up to you is waking up in heaven," Remus said, coming up behind me and wrapping me up in a tight hug.

"I know. I wish we could wake up like that every day," I replied. "Anyway, we should go back before they notice we're gone." We didn't leave then, instead spending a little time in each other's arms, but a few minutes later we did, if a little grudgingly. We managed to reach the common room without seeing anyone (so far so good). We had one last kiss and parted for the dormitories. When I reached the dormitory, though, I was faced with Rose, Lily and Mary Jane.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven – Rose**

**Forever is a Long Time**

Once again, I found myself pacing up and down in our dormitory, standing in front of Lily and Mary Jane (Alice, angry at not being able to sleep, had disappeared off in the night). This time, it wasn't worry about a date that kept me up, but simply worry that my sister was alive.

I heard the door open and spun around to see Cara standing there.

"Where the HELL have you BEEN?" I screamed, storming forwards and slamming the door behind her before she could escape. "Have you got ANY IDEA how worried I've been?"

She looked shocked for a moment as I grabbed her by her hand and pushed her down, before beginning to pace back and forth in front of her, ranting. "How could you do that to us? ESPECIALLY after what happened to ME! I thought you were DEAD! I thought you'd been KIDNAPPED! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU LET ANY OF US KNOW YOU WERE ALIVE? Alright, I get it, you're mad at me! But that doesn't stop me LOVING you! WHERE WERE YOU?"

She stood up, her face blank. "Stop yelling," she said, her voice sounding completely normal. "And you have no right to ask where I was. You are nothing to me."

I felt as if I'd been slapped in the face. I knew I'd hurt her; hell, I'd hurt myself by believing it! But how could she say that?

"Cara," I said, my voice quieter. "Please. I was really worried about you-"

"Worried?" she asked, laughing her head off. "Oh, you were WORRIED? You are such a fucking hypocrite!" She stood up from the bed to look into my eyes. It was only at that moment that I realised we were the same height – my sister had grown. "You have no right to be worried about me. I don't want you to be worried about me. I don't want you to even think about me. You're my sister! How could you think that?"

"What was I expected to think?" I demanded. "Who was I expected to blame?"

"NOT ME!" she roared. "I'M YOUR SISTER!"

"YES, YOU ARE!" I yelled back. "AND THAT SHOULD MEAN YOU WOULD LISTEN TO ME!"

"IT MEANS YOU SHOULD BELIEVE ME!"

"It's not the first time I've been betrayed by a family member," I spat at her, turning away. "You know that as well as I do!"

"Exactly," she spat back. In her anger she reached out and grabbed my arm, spinning me around to face her. "You betrayed me!"

"I thought you betrayed me," I pointed out.

"I didn't do anything! You should trust me. I'm your only remaining relative," she answered, then added, "And I've _always_ been there for you. And I've _always _looked out for you, and looked after you, and kept my promises to you. When have you EVER kept your promises to ME?"

"I PROMISED TO KEEP YOU SAFE!" I screamed, turning away from her in disgust. "What the hell was a supposed to do, Ca? Just let you lose your life for as many years as I lost mine? How is that fair?"

She glared at me. "You promised."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I am so, so, _so_ sorry, Ca. You are my sister and I love you and I was doing my best to keep you safe. And that was why I thought you had betrayed me," I finished. "Not because of you, or even Remus really. Because I betrayed you first."

She sobbed and I spun around, wrapping her in my arms. We cried together, holding each other desperately, as if we were the last people alive as the earth stood in ruins, and all those we had loved lay dead around us. And, in a way, it did.

We had lost everyone we had before this place, except for each other. Now, we stood on the brink of losing each other. I couldn't survive that.

I pulled back, wiping my eyes. "I am sorry, Cara. Can you ever forgive me?"

She pulled back too, and wiped her eyes with a tissue. "I don't know. It might take a long time to-" She broke off, upset.

"To learn to trust me again," I finished for her. She smiled sadly and nodded.

"But I will have to," she added with a small smile. "Or I'll have to learn to finish my sentences."

"And we couldn't have that, could we?" I asked her, with a matching small smile.

"Are we forgiven?" asked Lily in a small voice. Cara turned to the other two and smiled, hugging them tightly.

"Of course," she said. "You didn't really do anything."

I swallowed and turned away, not watching my sister forgive the girls she had known for three weeks over me. There, I mused as I stared out of the window, was the root of the problem. They had only known each other for three weeks; we had for a lifetime. I should have trusted her.

"Where were you?" I found myself asking, my voice strange and dispassionate. "Last night. We waited up for you all night. I was terrified."

I could feel her eyes on my neck, but I didn't turn to look at her. "I was with Remus. We stayed in the Shrieking Shack."

I nodded. "I'm going to go and shower. I'll see you all downstairs for breakfast soon. We have Potions, Transfiguration and Defence today. I'll meet you down there."

Then I turned around and left.

I moved through the common room steadily, ignoring everyone who greeted me. When I got downstairs, the boys were sitting together and they looked up and waved me over when they saw me.

I pretended I hadn't seen them and sat at the end of the table, quickly stuffing down some food. I hurried away as soon as I could, walking with my head down. I hurried to Potions.

"Little Rosie," I heard a voice say. I tried to ignore it, but I knew that ignoring a Slytherin could get you seriously injured. I turned around to meet Lucius Malfoy's eyes.

"You look a little unhappy, Rosie dear," he observed. "Trouble in paradise?"

I snorted. "You don't know the meaning of trouble," I told him dryly.

He grinned. "We all saw you yelling at each other outside school, you know. It looks like your sister won't be around to save you next time we get you."

I smiled back, instantly rising to the challenge. "And what makes you think there will be a next time?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "There is always a next time. The Dark Lord never loses."

I stared at him for a long time, looking him up and down slowly. "I am Rose White," I told him, my voice barely more than a whisper but containing an edge. "I never lose either. So, let's see what happens."

He stepped back at the danger promised in my eyes. "Well, he asked me to tell you that the game is on…"

I looked away, then glanced back, hoping my eyes were unreadable. "Tell him that this is no game. This is war."

He winced, but nodded. "I shall tell the Dark Lord-"

"Tell Tom," I corrected him. "Tell him: "Tom, this is no game. It is war." Tell him that exactly."

"I…" he hesitated. "You know I cannot-"

"You will tell him," I snapped, stepping forwards. He backed away and I followed, stalking him into the wall until our faces were only an inch apart and our bodies were almost pressed against him. "I am your Dark Lady," I said, my voice a harsh whisper. "I am of the oldest pure-blood family in existence. I am your queen. You will do as I say," I told him, finally accepting my birth right. For I was the first born White – Cara had been born three minutes after me – and that made me the heir apparent to the pure-blood dynasty. We never took it up anymore, but in case of a disaster I could take over the Ministry of Magic.

I had that power.

"Do we have an agreement, Lucius?"

He nodded, jerkily, and I released him, stepping back with a smile. The hallway was full, now, and everyone was staring at us. "Nice doing business with you, Mr Malfoy."

I stepped into the Potions room, sitting down and getting out my things. Slughorn had already set work for this lesson, so it shouldn't be too difficult. I lit the fire beneath my cauldron and collected my ingredients before Sirius could even sit down.

He stared at me. "What are you doing?"

"Working," I told him, briskly.

He blinked. "Alright, what have I done to piss you off?" he asked in an almost resigned voice. I looked up at him, surprised.

"Nothing," I said. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well," he muttered, pouring boiled caterpillar blood into his cauldron. "You ignored us at breakfast, were talking to Malfoy – of all people – and you kind of… didn't even look at me. So I assumed it was me."

"No," I told him, softly. "It is not you, Sirius. It's… Cara."

He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Rose. She's not forgiven you, then?"

"No," I said, equally sadly. "I don't know if she ever will."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight – Cara**

**Swamp-tastic**

I watched Rose. She was working furiously in complete silence. She hadn't said a word since I came in. This was going to be harder than I thought.

I wanted to forgive her and make her smile again, but until I could trust her again I couldn't. The fact that she had called me a traitor had caused me to (again) be plagued with the fact she had lied to me. I understood why she had blamed me, but it didn't change much. We would work on things, learn to trust again, learn how to let each other in. I looked down at the potion I was making, the draught of peace. It was easy, so much so that I barely thought of what I was doing and it gave me a chance to think. I needed to find a solution to my problems with Rosie. We needed each other more than ever, but we seemed to be pushing each other away instead. The rest of the day passed quickly with neither me nor Rose saying much. The others left us, knowing we would talk when we were ready and not before.

That evening was our first quidditch practise; Marlene McKinnon the captain was already there, with Emmeline Vance waiting. They were both chasers with Rose. Frank appeared moments after us, beater's bat in hand. We got changed, ready to be out on the pitch. As soon as Marlene had finished her talk we rushed out. Within minutes I was up and flying around. We all had Nimbus 1500's (a gift from Rose and me), which were the newest models and fantastic for flying fast, the way I had always enjoyed.

The moment I mounted my broom, all thoughts and worries left my mind. The wind whipped my hair around my face as the adrenaline made my heart pump faster. I did laps of the pitch, flying faster and higher with each lap. I could see the others doing the same and within minutes we were racing each other. Before long though, Marlene had called us down and we started to practise. It was fun and I loved being back circling the hoops; it had been a long time since I had played quidditch. Practise started and we played, trying new moves for hours. By the time we finally stopped, hours later, I was on a high; I had saved every goal they shot at me.

I walked back to the castle with Rose in silence. After a few minutes, the silence became too much for me so I spoke. "Rosie, are you okay?" She turned to face me a sad, mournful look on her face.

"No. How can I be with things the way they are?"

"Well, maybe we can fix things. I miss you; it's like you're not here, even though you're next to me. I miss having my sister. It's not going to be like before, but I want things to be like they were. We can do that; I trust you enough and I know why you did what you did – all of it – and I think we can move on now. Or at least try," I said softly, hoping she wanted the same because I couldn't keep on with things without my sister.

"Ca, are you serious?"

"No that would be him," I said, pointing at Sirius and laughing.

"That is not what I meant and you know it, so answer the bloody question Cara," Rose said, smacking me on the arm, trying not to laugh at my lame joke.

"Okay. I was deadly serious. I miss you, Rosie, and I understand what you did. I would have done the same in your place. I trust you, but it's just been hard to realise that. I should hate you, but somehow I just can't. You hurt me and you lied to me, but you're my sister and we can work it out." I shot her a tentative smile, which she returned before we hugged. Things would be different from now on, but maybe it was better that they were. We headed to dinner arm in arm and a renewed hope filled my heart. I trusted her as much as I had before she called me a traitor, but not like I did before the prophecy came out. I wanted to completely trust her but I couldn't, even if I would have done the same.

We reached the Great Hall and saw the relief on everyone's faces that we were talking again. We had great friends; we really needed to make sure they knew how much we cared about them. Dinner passed quickly, but with much laughed and that evening we decided it was time to turn Grey's room in to a swamp.

We had made the plans a few weeks ago, but never actually done it. Tonight, finally, we would. It served him right for being a total arse. We sat in the common room, waiting for everyone to leave; we were almost back to normal now. The only problem was the absence of Peter; he hadn't been noticeable when he was around but now we were left dealing with a sudden hole from his absence.

After several hours, everyone had gone to bed except for us. The plan was for James, Rose and I to go out, while Remus, Sirius, Lily and Mary Jane would stay in the common room waiting for us.

We slipped under the invisibility cloak and went through the portrait hole. We walked quietly and slowly, not wanting anyone to find us. It took us nearly half an hour getting to the class room (as we had to avoid Peeves, Filch and his damn cat), but eventually we got there. We cast the spells we had found and watched in wonder as his class room turned into the most amazing swamp known to man. Then, not wanting to get caught, we rushed back to the common room, eager to tell the others. We told them quickly, before exchanging goodnights; we all wanted to get up early and see Grey's face.

The next morning, we all tried to act normally, but it was hard to do so when we were so excited. At breakfast it all kicked off; clearly Grey had seen the class room as he came storming into the Great Hall, his face alight with anger.

"WHO DID IT? WHO TURNED MY CLASSROOM INTO A SWAMP?" he screamed, staring towards where we sat. So far things had gone well. Lily appeared moments later, giving us a wink before innocently asking what had happened. Dumbledore came down from the teachers table and followed Grey to his classroom, along with most of the school. Everyone was eager to see the swamp, but when they reached his room it was normal. Lily had gone there under the cloak this morning and waited until he left to change it back.

Everyone looked at Grey like he was mad and a ripple of laughter filled the corridor as Dumbledore asked if he was well. It looked like we had got our revenge on him and we had done it well enough not to be caught. He knew it was us but he couldn't even prove that the swamp had been there, let alone who had done it. We high fived and went back to breakfast huge grins on our faces.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine – Rose**

**A Lifetime**

By the time the first quidditch match of the season drew about, things had changed drastically at Hogwarts. We'd been there for almost two months – it being just two days before Halloween – and in so many ways, Cara and I had lived a lifetime.

Remus and Cara were closer than ever. They had moved through the sickly stage, and simply managed to exist in (prepare the clichés) perfect harmony. They moved, ate, talked and even thought together. They were a lovely couple, I had to admit, and I hadn't found grounds to castrate him yet, so I was hopeful for their future. Lily and James were getting closer, too, even though Snape (the poor slimy git) kept trying to get her back. Mary Jane…

Peter still hadn't turned up. When he hadn't shown up back at school, we had got a little worried and had to (eventually) tell Dumbledore. When we explained the whole dark mark thing he hadn't been too pissed, but the search parties were still looking for the little rat. I, personally, hoped they never found him.

Things between Sirius and I were better than they had been as well. I was teaching Sirius the guitar and we played together in the evenings, our friends (and the rest of the common room, to a point) cheering us on. I had also gone and spoken with Regulus and thanked him, and apologised for ruining his birthday. His reply had been:

"Are you kidding me?" he'd asked, his jaw dropping. "Rose, you have to be an idiot. That was the best birthday party, ever! Sirius smiled at me!"

I had felt so bad for Regulus at that, that I had ordered Sirius to make an effort with his younger brother. I hoped, deep down, that one day they might reconcile and have a better relationship.

We had spent the rest of the month playing quidditch. Lots of it. We also spent more time trying to find out how to destroy the horcrux, and we spent time researching what his others could be. I hoped we would make leeway, but nothing ever seemed to happen.

Speaking of, Tom had started to send me weekly owls, and daily messages. I sent things back, mainly saying, 'stay away from me, you creepy stalker'. He didn't get the message, and the letters were starting to get… personal.

"Gah," I exclaimed in disgust as his bird – who I had nicknamed Edmund (don't ask me why) – flew towards us, a letter clutched in his talons. "Someone else take it and read it. I've had enough of his stupid letters!"

Sirius smirked and took the letter from the bird, flipping it open. Everyone expected it to be the few short sentences it normally was, so when his face went white and then a very dark shade of red, I began to wonder.

He snapped the letter shut, his face going into one of his more annoying masks. "I don't think I should have read that."

"Why?" I asked, taking it curiously and flipping it back open. "What does it say- Oh."

"Yeah," he muttered, seeing my face go a little green. "You might not want to read that."

"What did he say?" the rest of the table asked, more worried now than curious.

I swallowed. "It is a description," Sirius explained when I said nothing, "Of the last time they met, and I believe it goes on to explain what he will do to her when they next meet. Why are you still reading it?" he asked, turning, to me in exasperation.

I raised my eyebrows as I looked over the top of the letter – which went on for three pages – at him. "I… Well, I do like to be prepared."

"Is any of that the truth?" he asked, disgusted.

Again, my infamous mouth worked without consulting my brain (which was reading the letter) and said, "Oh, yes. Most of it was worse, actually."

"WHAT?" Sirius practically exploded. "He did THAT to you and you never bothered to mention it?"

I sighed, giving him my full attention. "Well," I hedged, "I never really described it in detail, did I?"

"No!" he snapped. "But I would have liked to have known-"

I lost my patience with him. "No, Sirius, you would _not_ have liked to have known. No one wants to know. _I_ don't _want_ to know! It's bad enough that it happened once, let alone reliving it in my nightmares every fucking night!" I exploded. "So _excuse me_ if I didn't want to relive it _again_ with you! I am _so sorry_!"

He winced. "I didn't mean-"

I cut him off. "I know what you meant. Why would he write stuff like this now, though?" I mused, staring at the letter. "Unless he knew I wouldn't read it, and wanted to upset you guys."

"What did the damn letter say?" James snapped, grabbing it out of my hand. Sirius and I exchanged grimaces and said, at the same time, "You really don't want to read that."

"Oh," James said in a very different tone of voice. All of the blood had drained from his face as he looked at me, strangely. He then said, "I didn't know it was possible to do that."

I smiled grimly. "You don't know until you try, and trust me, you don't want to try."

Remus snatched it out of James' hand, read a bit, then shoved it back and muttered, "I think I might be sick."

I snorted. "Don't let the girls-" I started at the same moment Mary Jane reached out and grabbed it. Lily and Cara bent over her shoulders to read and, after she dropped it to run out of the room (headed for the toilets to actually be sick), Lily nearly dropped into a faint and Cara just shrugged, looked at each of our faces in turn and said, "He's done worse to her."

I snorted again. "Cheers, Ca. Now, let's go and get dressed. I plan on beating Slytherin today if I die trying. Bellatrix is a chaser, Regulus is seeker and those thugs Crabbe and Goyle are beaters. If we lose, we'll never live it down. Padfoot, you had better not let bludgers near Cara today, or we'll be screwed," I said as we walked down to the changing rooms. He snorted.

"You called me Padfoot."

I grinned. "I am capable of it, you know."

He smiled. "You are capable of pretty much anything."

We changed quickly. Marlene chatted for a few minutes to us (a very short pep talk) and we were shouldering our brooms, ready to walk out onto the pitch. Sirius leant over and kissed me, deeply, before we broke apart (flushed and breathing heavily) and walked out.

We mounted our brooms as Marlene shook hands with the Slytherin captain, Wood, and we kicked off. The quaffle was in the air for all of half a second before I grabbed it, ducking two bludgers and an opposing chaser before I tossed it to Marlene, who passed it to Emmeline, who ducked a bludger and neatly dropped it into my waiting arms as the chasers dived at her. I dodged around Bellatrix and scored neatly.

"Ten points for Gryffindor!" the commentator, Jonas Jordan cried, and the sea of red and gold cheered our success.

I waved at them and dived back into the game.

It was a bloody game, dirty, in fact. They fowled Marlene bad enough to floor her for several minutes while she received treatment. I took the penalty and scored with ease. Emmeline and I carried on for the next quarter of an hour, scoring as steadily as we could, while the Slytherins took advantage of our captain's absence to attack us – and Cara.

Cara had been making some pretty spectacular saves up until then. Oh, she'd let the few odd ones in – to let the score be 140 to 70 to us – but she had been pretty amazing. Now, though, they were pelting them at her left right and centre, with people flying in all directions. It was a wonder she could stay on her broom.

They scored another two before I could jump in. She had just saved one, by punching it away, and I grabbed the rebounded quaffle, flying around a lot of angry Slytherins to do so. Then Sirius and Frank came up either side of me, holding their beating bats pretty seriously.

"Go left," I ordered them.

I swerved under the oncoming swarm of Slytherins, they swerved left, and the two bludgers that were aimed at us hit Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black in their respective heads.

I ignored them all and scored another three goals, before shouting to James to 'hurry the fuck up', which he did.

He went into a spectacular dive and came out of triumphantly clutching the snitch. Our final score was 320 to a measly 90.

Our team dived forwards to James, but before I could reach him Malfoy blocked my path.

"Happy now?" he asked, sneeringly. I snorted.

"Yes. Now move your fat arse, Malfoy!"

"Not yet," he said. He waited tensely for another moment before dodging down. I only had a second to wonder what the hell that was about when I saw the two bludgers heading straight for Cara.

I screamed her name in warning, shooting forwards on my broom, but I wasn't fast enough. One hit her in the arm, breaking it, and the other in her back, knocking her forwards off her broom, about seventy feet up in the air.

I didn't have time to reach for my wand or shout an incantation. I just screamed, "_No_!" and reached out, somehow shooting magic out of me.

The golden streams of magic wrapped around her prone figure and lowered her gently to the ground. I swayed as I tried to descend, my mind going fuzzy from exhaustion as Sirius caught me and held me up, gently lowering me to the ground beside my sister.

I reached for her wrist, struggling to find any signs of life.

She had a pulse.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty – Cara**

**The White Room**

I woke in a room I had never seen before. It was bright and clean, almost white. Where was I? I'd fallen… but now there was no sign of the damage the bludgers caused. Did this mean I was dead? It would explain why I couldn't hear Rosie screaming at me to wake up or Remus telling me to come back. I hoped they wouldn't miss me much and that they would all move on; I couldn't bear to cause them pain, not in life and not now.

"Cara!" I turned to see little Julian running towards me. He jumped up into my arms and I spun him around. Well, I was definitely dead, but at least he was here with me.

"What are you doing here?" we asked at the same time. I smiled at Jewell; he was unchanged, still the little boy I had known. He grinned back and I answered him.

"Well, some Slytherins hit a bludger into the back of my head and I'm now kind of dead, like you are. Anyway where are mum and dad?"

"We're right here dear, and you aren't dead. We called your spirit here when you were knocked out. We've been watching over you and Rose. We wanted to help you." My mother spoke from across the empty room. She and Dad were walking closer until I was wrapped in her arms.

"What do you mean you want to help?"

"Cara, we love you and your sister, and what has happened to you both has been due to us. It was our weaknesses that lead to this mess; we allowed Tom to do that to Rose. We let him have her. If we had said no to him this may not have happened. We can't change what happened, but we can try to make things better for you," Dad said, joining us. He hugged me when he reached us. I was so confused – I was alive, but I was with my dead family. What the hell was going on?

"So Cara's not staying?" Jewell asked, looking sad. I walked over, hiding my confusion and wrapping him into a hug.

"Not today but I'll come back one day. I promise," I told him, squeezing a little tighter. I loved Jewell and I wanted to stay with him so much, but I knew I would have to go back once I had been told what to do. I turned to face my parents. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"You can save Rose from the marriage. It won't be easy, but it is possible. It will take great courage and strength of mind to do it," my father said, sounding full of sorrow. "Not many people know of this – it is hardly ever used because of what it takes. You may not wish to do it once you hear what is involved; I will understand if you don't." I looked at him. Surely he knew I would do anything to save her from the marriage?

"Just tell me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her." He shared a look with Mum, who nodded before he spoke again.

"Cara, it involves an ancient ritual that few have heard of. You must go at midnight, to a sacred place. There you will need to recite the ancient words over Tom and Rose, who will have to be there – like they were when they were joined. The ceremony will be very similar, but much harder. Bonding is easy; however, breaking a bond is almost impossible. The process is hard; it will kill you to break the bond. They may live, but there is a high chance one or both will die. Now do you see why I did not want to tell you? You being you, I guess there's no hope of you letting someone else do it instead?" He looked sadly at me as I shook my head at him slowly.

"No, Dad. I'll do it for her, not someone else. What are the words I need to say?"

"If you are sure, then you need to perform the spell as you would a bonding and recite this:

_By the power of the night,_

_By the power of light,_

_Break this bond of dark,_

_The love that binds is gone,_

_So separate these souls,_

_Let love fight again,_

_Let life guide the way,_

_By magic and night__,_

_I break this bond with my life,_

_To make it no longer binding,_

_Free them from the bond within,_

_Before love is lost and darkness wins."_

"Thank you. I know you don't want me to do this, but it is the only way Rose will be safe. I don't mind giving my life for her." I said this softly, holding on to Jewell more tightly. I could feel reality pulling me back; I reached for my parents' hands one last time before I was back in the real world.

"Cara, oh God, please be okay. I need you! You can't leave me," Rose was sobbing into my arm softly. There was a familiar hand holding on to mine: Remus'. He was crying too, and holding on to me, whispering to me, trying to bring me back. Around me, others were talking softly or just crying quietly; they were all so worried about me. I tried to open my eyes but it took a lot of effort.

"Rosie," I managed to croak out, before it became too much and I was asleep. My dreams were strange and disoriented but they were thankfully not nightmares. When I did finally wake, I felt more rested than I had in months. I opened my eyes once more, this time with ease. I pushed myself up, feeling stiff and achy.

"Rosie," I said softly, needing to see that she was okay. She turned and I saw that she had red, puffy, blood shot eyes. It seems she had been crying (a lot) and, being like me, had not slept until she knew I was alright.

"Cara, thank God you're alright. I've been so scared. For a moment I even thought you had died." She was sobbing again, clutching me as if to stop me leaving.

"Rosie, it's okay; I'm here. I'm fine, no lasting damage." I smiled and looked over to where Remus stood. He too looked like he needed to sleep.

"Never, ever do that again, Cara White. You scared me half to death. Promise me you'll never leave me," he said softly, walking over to hold on to me once more. I tried for another smile, but couldn't. I didn't promise him because, although I wanted to, I knew that it was a promise I was going to break in order to save Rose. Remus was still waiting for a reply, though, so I took in a deep breath and tried to find a way to make him happy without lying.

"I can try, Remus, but I can't promise," I eventually said and, before he had time to protest, Madam Pomfrey had appeared.

"All off you out, now. I need to tend to my patient." She shooed them away before coming back over, pulling the curtains around us and begin the check-up. It took her a while to check everything and make sure nothing was wrong with me, but at the end she said I was to rest for a few days then I would be free to go.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One – Rose**

**Some News**

I hesitated outside of the Hospital Wing, glancing back nervously. Remus sighed when he realised I wasn't following him back to the common room and doubled back, grasping my arm and dragging me onwards.

"Come on," he muttered. "You won't help her by collapsing from exhaustion."

I wobbled and realised he was right. "Yeah, okay. You can let go of me, now."

He snorted. "Can you stand upright without me?"

I rolled my eyes at him, but gave in. "Probably not."

"The magic you did was incredible," he told me as we walked down the seventh floor corridor, towards Gryffindor tower. "I've never seen wandless magic before, not like that. It had a definite form and everything."

"Mm," I agreed absentmindedly as we reached the Fat Lady. "Fides et Amor," I told her and she swung forwards. We clambered in and I explained, "I've done it before. When Cara is in trouble, that kind of magic just comes out of me. It's kind of like my gift… Like Cara can see, I can use that gold stuff. I don't think about it, though. It only comes out under stress." I sighed and frowned as I struggled to explain.

Sirius jumped up and came to my side, taking my weight from Remus. "Is she okay?"

"She's awake," Remus told him happily. "And she was talking and everything."

"That's brilliant!" James exclaimed, as everyone else echoed his sentiments. "I think it's about time we got revenge on the Slytherins."

While everyone else agreed, I surprised them (and myself) by slowly shaking my head. "No," I told them slowly, collapsing onto the sofa.

"What?" the three marauders asked me, shock on their faces.

"It wasn't their fault," I told them through a yawn as I curled up like a fox. "It was Tom… all Tom's idea…"

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, but Sirius hushed him. He stroked my face tenderly, and said, "Change into your fox shape, Rosie. I'll stay with you tonight."

I smiled sleepily and transformed. He lifted me into his arms and settled us down on the sofa. The others were watching us, amused, but I sat up sleepily and licked his face, before curling up on his lap and snuggling down to sleep.

It was the Monday evening after our Saturday quidditch match, and I hadn't slept since Cara had been injured, after all.

I was still a fox when I woke up. The only reason I woke up was my foxy hearing, and I lifted my head to see an exhausted Peter Pettigrew walking into the common room, followed by Professors McGonagall and Slughorn. McGonagall tipped her head at me and put her finger to her lips.

I nodded my head and stared at Peter for a long moment.

He was wearing Slytherin robes.

I curled up on Sirius' lap again, and went back to sleep.

This time, when I awoke, it was to Cara's face peering down at me. I jumped at her, licking her face with vicious abandon. Then I jumped down and changed, hugging her and kissing her face.

"You're here!" I laughed aloud. Sirius stood up, stretching, and, when I put her down, gave Cara a hug, too.

"I am," she agreed, laughing. "I convinced Madam Pomfrey to let me go back to the dorm if I would avoid classes for the next three days and check in with her every evening."

Sirius grinned. "It is very difficult to escape her clutches," he agreed wryly. "I've struggled to in the past."

I just hugged her tightly and then forced her to sit down. "You should be resting! Here, sit down. I'll fetch you another cushion-"

"Rose!" she cried. "Settle down. I'm fine!"

"But-"

"I am fine!" she snapped, amused. "Sirius, fetch the others from the dorms. I don't suppose you can fetch Lily and Mary Jane, can you?"

He grinned. I rolled my eyes, and said, "Don't answer that."

He disappeared, and I settled down next to my sister. "You're really alright?"

"Of course I am," she scoffed, amused. "I always am, aren't I?"

"I thought you were gone this time, Ca," I told her with a soft sigh. "When the bludgers hit you… I just can't get the image of you falling from the sky out of my head."

She smiled sadly. "You saved me, Rose. Just keep remembering that."

The others bounded down the stairs with huge grins, and Remus went instantly to her side. I gave up my place beside her in favour of a seat next to Sirius – well, halfway between next to and on – and he took it instantly, wrapping her in his arms. "You're okay!"

"I always am," she insisted. "But that's not what this is about. This is a Marauders' meeting."

I swallowed. "I have a little something to add to the agenda, too."

"So do I," Sirius added in a dangerous voice.

"Who wants to go first?" James asked. We all looked at Cara, who shook her head.

"You two go for it. Mine might take a little while… Or a long while," she explained with a wry look on her face. She studied me for a moment, then said, "A _very_ long while."

I glanced at Sirius, then said, "Peter's back."

"_What_?" All six of them said, some angrily, others… upset. I looked at Mary Jane, who looked like she was about to cry. She had really loved the boy who betrayed us.

"That's not all," I told them. "I woke up when they came in last night-"

"But he wasn't in our dorm-"

"I know," I agreed. "That's part of the story. If I could continue…?" James shut his mouth, chagrined. "He was accompanied by McGonagall and Slughorn. They were here for his things. He's been resorted – into Slytherin."

This proclamation was followed by cries of outrage. Sirius shot up, pacing angrily back and forth. James, likewise, stood up and stormed towards the portrait hole, but Lily caught him. "Don't do something you will regret not planning later," I advised him in a soft tone. "A plan is always best for revenge."

The others nodded and calmed down a little, sitting down. Sirius' face was like thunder as silence fell between us, a kind of expectant silence.

I don't think Sirius actually heard any of it, or realised it was his turn until I nudged him with my elbow. He jerked, looking around, and said, "Huh? Oh, right… This came for you yesterday morning," he explained, handing me a letter. "I opened it. You aren't going to like it."

I looked at him with a frown, and re-opened the letter. Flipping it open, my stomach dropped. I looked up, meeting Sirius' eyes. He nodded.

"It's written in…"

"Blood," he agreed. I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat, threatening to make me vomit. I didn't want to think whose it could be.

_Dear Rose,_

_I hope this letter finds you in mourning. If it does not, some of your classmates have failed me and will meet with my displeasure._

_Rose, the real reason I write is this: I have recently cast a special detection spell, and I have some joyful news to impart unto you – you are pregnant._

_Congratulations. I am very pleased to hear I will be becoming a father, and I am sure you are excited too. You must, of course, withdraw from school and return home soon. I shall be contacting your school within the next few days and arranging it._

_I shall see you soon, wife._

_Your Husband,_

_Tom._

_P.S. This means I win._

I stared at the letter blankly before dropping it, my hands starting to shake. No. It couldn't be.

I stood up jerkily, staring away from the others as I counted to myself. I couldn't be… The dates fit. I hadn't even considered it, but I was over two weeks late… I had always been irregular, but…

"Rose?" Sirius asked softly. I turned to stare at him. He had picked up the letter and put it into his pocket before anyone else could snatch it, which meant the others were looking between us warily. "Are you okay? Is it… true?"

I swallowed down my fear and thought for a long moment. Then I said, "It has to be. He wouldn't say it if it wasn't, and…"

He nodded, his legs collapsing beneath him, forcing him down onto the sofa. "Wow."

"_Not_ _wow_!" I found myself screaming. "This is not a _wow_ moment! This is a scream moment, a run away in fear moment, but not a _wow_ moment! This is the moment I kill myself because it's just gone too far! NOT THE MOMENT YOU SIT DOWN AND SAY 'WOW'!"

"Rose," he said soothingly, standing up and coming over to me. He tried to wrap his arms around me but I pushed him away, impatiently dashing away tears. "Rose, please calm down. You being stressed won't help the situation."

"THERE IS NO CHANCE I WON'T BE STRESSED, SIRIUS BLACK!" I yelled. "What is there about this situation not to be stressed about?"

"What are you talking about?" the five other people in the room snapped in unison. I shuddered and turned away. Sirius looked at me helplessly, before opening his mouth.

I cut him off. "No. It's no one's business but my own. Give me that letter, Sirius." He hesitated. "Give it to me!" He handed it over and I tossed it in the fire.

Then I spun around and looked at Cara, saying, "Your turn."

"You'd better sit down," she advised, looking worried. "You aren't going to like this either." I sat down on the edge of my seat, too anxious to relax. She swallowed and took a deep breath, as if she was trying to gain the courage to say what she was about to say.

"While I was unconscious," she started, slowly, "My spirit was summoned to beyond the veil, to talk to Mum and Dad – and Jewell." I stiffened, and she nodded. "He's okay, Rose. They're all okay. But, the thing they wanted to tell me was of an old ritual, a very, very old one, actually. It is a bond breaking ritual." If it were possible, I would have stiffened even more. She nodded again. "If we perform it, we can break your marriage to Voldemort."

I swallowed back excitement. "And at what cost?"

She raised her eyebrows. "How did you know there would be a cost?"

"It's an old magic ritual, right?" She nodded. "Cara, there is always a cost when you break a bond, or a vow, or an oath. Some are death, others are pain, some are a lot less and some are a lot worse. You know the cost, don't you?"

She nodded, but hesitated. "Well… The bonded pair need to be there, and it is possible that one or the other will die."

"And? Go on."

She swallowed and raked her hand through her hair, a nervous twitch she hadn't used in years. Dread pitted in the bottom of my stomach as she said, "You need a bond-breaker as well. And they always die."

I froze. "No."

"Rose-"

"No," I said, unyielding. "No. I will not let someone sacrifice their life for mine."

"It is my- I mean their choice!"

"And I have to live with the consequences!" I snapped, standing up. "No, no, no, no, no! I will not let anyone I love risk – or lose – their lives, not for me!"

"You being married to him puts me in danger anyway," she pointed out, trying to sound reasonable. "Surely it is better to break the bond all together, and let what happens happen."

"No," I whispered, moving away. "No. It is not. There is nothing to decide, nothing to do. This will not happen, because there is no way for me to escape him now, anyway."

"What the hell was in that letter?" James and Cara asked as one. I swallowed, but waved my hand at Sirius.

"Go ahead. Tell them. I can't find the stomach to say the words."

He stood up and walked over to me, pulling me to his chest. "This changes nothing," he swore quietly. "We are still, and always will be, together. I love you. This doesn't matter; we'll get through this."

I nodded against his chest, and he raised his voice. "Rose is… I mean, Voldemort did a spell and found out that Rose is… What I'm trying to say, is… I mean…"

"She's pregnant," James finished. As the room exploded, I found myself focusing on that in amusement. James knew what Sirius knew… I wondered, briefly, about the relationship between the two boys. Only old magic created that kind of mind-link, like Cara and my twin-link. It meant they were clearly very close, and they could never betray each other, at the least.

"How the hell can you be pregnant?" Mary Jane snapped, sounding horrified. I dragged myself out of Sirius' arms and faced her with amusement.

"Do I need to describe the process?"

"But…" She looked truly disgusted. "Didn't you use protection?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Mary, honey, when you're in the middle of being raped by the most evil dark wizard of all time, you don't often think about that."

"You're pregnant," Cara whispered. I turned to stare at her. She knew what this meant… "Oh, crap. He's going to call you home, isn't he?"

I nodded. "He already has."

"And you…" She stopped, looking fairly grey. "You don't have a choice at all. That's why we have to break the bond."

"Ca…"

"No, Rose. I'm putting my foot down. For your sake, for your baby's sake and – in many ways – for the world's sake, I will sacrifice myself and break the bond between you and Lord Voldemort. And I will be happy to do it."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two** **–** **Cara**

**Preparations**

I stared at Rose as she processed my words. After a few moments, I saw her eyes sadden, as if she was defeated by my words. She opened her mouth, but before she could say a word another voice filled the room.

"No, Cara, you can't. What about me? What about us? You can't sacrifice yourself; we can find another way." It was Remus and sadness – and a bit of hurt – filled his voice.

"Remus, it's the only way. I have to save Rose; I can't let him hurt her. I need to protect my sister and my niece or nephew. This isn't your choice, Remus, okay? So leave it," I said, pulling myself out of his arms to face him. "Remus, I couldn't live with myself knowing I could have saved them but didn't. I need to do this and I promise one day you'll fall in love again, get married and have children even. It's just not going to be with me, not now."

"You promised though; you promised never to leave me."

"I told you I'd try but I never promised. Remus, I did try but this is the only way. We still have time, for now, but I will do whatever it takes to save Rose from her bond."

"Remus, I don't want her to do this anymore than you do, but it's her choice," Rose said quietly, moving closer to where we sat. "I want my sister to be safe and happy, but I know that now she has got her mind set on saving me there's no stopping her." Remus didn't reply, he just got up, silently, and left the room. I wanted to run after him and make it all better. I wanted to promise not to go through with the ritual, to tell him it would be alright, but I couldn't. I had to save the family I had left. I stared after him for a few seconds, before turning back to the others.

"Right. The ritual will have to be done at midnight on sacred ground for it to work. There I have to recite an ancient spell to reverse the bond, but the problem is the process has to be done like a bonding. This means we need them both to be there for it to happen," I said looking around at the group. "It also means we might need a plan to kidnap Voldemort."

"Are you serious? How could you even consider that a feasible option?" James asked incredulously as Lily and Mary Jane nodded in agreement behind him. I was about to retort when Sirius spoke.

"Firstly I'm Sirius, and that is Cara." He pointed to me as he spoke. "Secondly, there is nothing wrong with her plan and third of all since when did you back away from a challenge?"

"I don't, but this is a death sentence, not a challenge, Sirius. There must be a better way to get him there."

"There is," Rose said suddenly, causing everyone to turn and stare at her. Once we were all paying attention, she spoke again. "He wants me back, so we use me to lure him there. I'll write to tell I'm back, but he must meet me himself at Hogsmeade church. I'll tell him to meet me at midnight so that no-one can stop me from leaving. That would get him to the church without having to attempt kidnap."

I started at her; that was ingenious. "That might work, but we would still have to get him in the same position as when you were bonded." She thought for a moment before she pulled over a piece of parchment and began scribbling away. We all waited while she wrote and after a few minutes she stopped, handing me the parchment. Slowly I read it aloud.

"_Dear Tom,_

_I apologise for not replying to your joyful news sooner, but I have only just received your letter. I have been distracted by my sister's accident; I'm sure you will be pleased to hear she has made a full recovery._

_I was delighted to discover that I am to become a mother. I will of course arrange to leave school to join you once more. I wish for you to pick me up Saturday next. This would give me time to say goodbye and get everything arranged. I would like it if you would personally meet me in Hogsmeade, at the church. I wish to thank God with you for the blessing he has given us._

_I shall see you soon, my husband._

_Your wife,_

_Rose._"

"Well, do you think that will work?" Rose asked when I had finished reading. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"It's perfect Rose. This will work," I said, hugging her. "Now, I think we should get this sent before someone else sees it."

"That is an excellent plan, Ca," Rose said, smiling slightly before turning to James. "Is there any chance of borrowing your cloak, Prongs?"

"Course, I'll just get it for you." He smiled at me before adding, "Don't worry Cara, I'll check on Remus."

"Thanks," I called quietly. He was back in minutes, handing Rose the cloak. I looked at him expectantly.

"He's fine, just a bit upset," James said as we slipped under the cloak. We disappeared through the portrait hole and hurried to the Owlery. It wasn't until we were tying the letter onto Soren that Rose spoke.

"You don't have to do this for me, Ca,"

"Yes I do. I have to do this for you, and for the baby."

"If you're sure…" she trailed off, no longer tying the letter onto Soren. I moved her gently aside and tied the letter, sending him away before she could find the words to stop me. With the letter sent, I covered us with the cloak and together we walked back to the common room.

We got back to see that James, Lily and Mary Jane had already gone to bed. Sirius was fast asleep in the armchair when we got there. Rose gently woke him, before we headed up to bed. Once Rose was asleep, I snuck out of bed to my window. There, I sat watching the stars and deciding how to spend my last week of life. It was so strange to think that I would be saying the words to take away my life in just a matter of days. My thoughts drifted until they landed on the horcrux. It would have to be destroyed by the end of the week or I would have to pass on its location.

Dumbledore – I could tell him where it was. All I needed to do now was get Remus to forgive me; I couldn't die with him mad at me. I had to do this, not just for Rose but for the baby too. Once I had heard she was pregnant, I knew I had to do it. He might not understand, but to me it was clear; I could not let him break my sister and my niece or nephew. The only thing I would regret in doing the ritual would be never meeting her child, but it was worth it to save her. Remus may not like it, but I had meant what I said earlier; he would love again one day and Rose would survive – she was a warrior. I fell asleep there, watching the stars through the window as my last days ticked by.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three – Rose**

**A Letter**

It was ironic how well I slept that night, knowing what my sister was going to do and what resided in my body. But I did sleep well; in fact, I slept better than ever before. I had no dreams and I slept right through until morning, forcing Cara to wake me if I didn't want to miss another day's worth of lessons. After waiting for Cara to wake up from her accident, I had slept the entire day away on Tuesday, so I would be catching up in today's lessons.

Speaking of… I reached for my stuff, washing and dressing quickly, before packing my bag. With two sets of double outside lessons (Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures) and Charms today, my bag was light, for which I was grateful. I was still shocked by both counts of news last night, and I felt as if I could be knocked over by a strong breeze.

It wasn't a particularly nice feeling.

I hurried down to breakfast with Cara (who was allowed to eat with us, if not attend lessons) and the other girls, sitting in the middle of the long table. We were just eating as the boys arrived, and soon after that I heard footsteps come to a stop in front of us and looked up.

Regulus, Bellatrix, Narcissa, Snape and Lucius stood in front of us, all looking very unsure of themselves and awkward. Regulus glanced at the older students and sighed, taking matters into his own hands.

"Rose," he said to me, "The Dark Lord sent us a message concerning your matter."

I could feel the blood draining from my face. "Oh," I muttered. "Right. And what did he have to say?"

"Other than being remarkably happy about it," Bellatrix said, "Nothing. He wants us to stick to you like glue, though."

"No way," I snapped. "I don't need his servants to protect me! I have friends for that."

"And the Dark Lord knows this," Snape said softly. Everyone turned to listen to him speak. "Which is why he wishes for us to simply make certain you are safe. Your friends are the targets of many revenge plots. We are here to keep you safe."

I don't think I'd ever heard him say that much in one go. I looked at them angrily, before going back to eating breakfast. What was I supposed to do?

"You can't seriously be giving in," James said, appalled. "You said he wouldn't rule your life, remember?"

"That was before," I said, blushing red. "Things are different now. I… You guys know I have to do what he says."

Cara gritted her teeth and glared at the five Slytherins. "Do all of you have to stay around us?"

They nodded, obviously annoyed at the plan too, but unable to say it. I snorted. "Alright, let's get a few things clear, then; you don't bother us and we won't bother you. If we have to co-exist until Saturday-"

"Not Saturday," Narcissa said quickly. "He said it would only be for today!"

I hesitated. "I sent him a letter arranging for Saturday."

Just then, Tom's owl entered the hall, heading straight for us. He dropped down heavily, clearly tired, and gave me the letter, not taking flight automatically this time. I kind of felt sorry for the creature.

I swallowed as I flipped it open, and read:

_Dearest Rose_,

_I am very glad you are so pleased with this news, just as I am pleased with your sister's recovery. I am afraid Saturday will be inopportune, and we must leave today. I shall come and pick you up at Ten o'clock this morning. If you still wish to go to church, we can of course do so this evening, after everyone has left it._

_I look forwards to seeing you in the Hogwarts Entrance Hall._

_Your husband,_

_Tom._

I stared at the paper and clenched my jaw, automatically looking up for Dumbledore. He was watching us with a faint frown, and stood when I met his eyes. He silently strode towards us and, without even a greeting, held his hand out for the letter.

I hesitated, but handed it over. He read it quickly and I could see his jaw tightening angrily. I took it back and passed it to Cara, watching the Headmaster to see his reaction.

"Is there a reason that you are not at your table?" he snapped at the Slytherins. I'd never seen him that angry before.

"Sir, we want to stay with Rose," Malfoy said. "We are staying with Rose."

"And what does Rose have to say about this?" he asked, turning to me. I had the feeling that he was trying to get rid of them.

"I would rather meet you all down in lessons," I told them softly, unable to look up. "I'll see you all later."

"Listen here," Bellatrix started angrily, but I found myself standing up and glaring at them.

"I said leave," I snapped. To my surprise, after exchanging miserable glances, they did so, moving far enough away to watch me but not hear what was going on.

"What is this news, Rose?" he asked, quietly but insistently.

I frowned at him. "I am pregnant, sir," I explained in a whisper.

He nodded to himself, then glanced at Cara. "You had a plan, did you not?"

"Yes, sir," she said, surprised. "How did you know?"

He didn't smile sagely and say something like "I always do." Instead, he ignored that and muttered. "Midnight… Why does it have to be midnight? It doesn't have to be midnight… Perhaps it would work in the morning, or midday…"

He trailed off and studied Cara for a long minute, then nodded. "Alright, this is what we're going to do. I cannot stop Tom Riddle from taking you, but I can slow him down. I can also insist that you are all allowed to go to the church, as a family custom. He will insist on taking some Death Eaters, but we can work around that. Do you understand what you are about to do, Cara? And you, Rose? You know this could result in both of your deaths?"

"Yes, sir," we replied simultaneously. Cara said, "I am willing to sacrifice myself to save her."

"And I am willing to sacrifice myself to lose this bond with him," I added. I looked at my sister sadly.

"Are you willing to sacrifice each other?" he asked, a strange current in his voice. "You both could die, or neither. Remember this. If you are willing to lose everything to take something from Tom Riddle then you may succeed. If you are not willing to lose each other, you eventually will."

I nodded, understanding. Cara nodded too, also understanding this. I stared at her, and said, "You have something to tell him, don't you?"

She nodded and reached into her pocket, withdrawing a bottle of memories. "Here, sir. This is the information you need. Let no one else see it."

He nodded. "Girls, go and prepare yourselves. Take your marauders and your friends, too. You will need their strength."

Strength… I nodded and looked at Cara. "Get everyone up to Gryffindor tower. I'll join you in a moment."

Then I ran across the Hall, skidding to a stop beside where Peter sat, eating alone. I sat across from him.

"Peter," I said softly. He looked up, and grimaced.

"Look, I am sorry for lying," he said angrily. "You don't need to come and get revenge on me, or yell at me, because I already feel like the biggest tosser in the world-"

"Do you?" I asked, smiling. "Good, I'm glad. Now, are you willing to do something about that?"

He stared at me for a long moment, then said, "Like what?"

I grinned. "Follow me."

Upstairs, in Gryffindor common room, the others weren't so easy to convince.

"NO WAY!" Sirius and James roared together, angered just by the sight of Peter. I waved my hands at them to quiet down but they ignored me and carried on yelling. Finally, I raised my voice.

"ENOUGH!" I screamed. They all shut up. "Don't you remember? 'All will bring strength, even the rat.' This is it, guys. The moment we need strength, and if Peter is willing to come with us to provide us with strength then I want him there. He made a mistake. Are we going to make another one by ignoring the prophecy?"

They all looked mutinous, but gave in. I hurried upstairs to get dressed, putting on a low-cut red dress. This time, I would not be losing to him. I grabbed my wand and walked downstairs again, meeting my best friends- no, my family at the bottom.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Four – Cara**

**Meeting the Madman**

I stared as Rose descended the stairs. She had on a low-cut red dress that fitted her perfectly. For once, she wasn't wearing one of the horrible dresses that he gave her, but one of her own beautiful dresses. She smiled at us, twirling for us. She looked so young and innocent in that moment, the way she used to. I smiled and giggled at her, the happiness radiating from her. She looked at me and within moments we were laughing so hard it hurt. The others gave us bewildered looks – all except for Mary Jane, who just stared at Peter. She looked torn and I could understand why; she loved him but he had turned to the dark side. When we finally managed to stop laughing, I went over to her. I hugged her whispering in her ear.

"It's okay to love him still, Mary. He can give you strength to get through this if you let him."

I pulled away, giving her a slight shove towards Peter. She smiled at me, before stepping closer to him. Peter opened his arms and encircled her. Seeing them together made me want nothing more than to feel Remus' arms around me. I walked over to him but he didn't open his arms for me. Instead he stood still, a tear forming in his eye. I reached up, kissing the tear away and wrapping my arms around him. He softened and his arms went around me. We stayed like this for several minutes, but eventually we pulled apart and together the eight of us walked down, holding on to each other for support.

The entrance hall was deserted when we arrived, but within moments Dumbledore was there, standing slightly in front of us. He turned his head towards us. "I will be able to stall him, but only for a short while. It should be enough to tell him that we will all go down to the church."

"Thank you, Sir; it means a great deal to us that you will be coming," Rose said quietly, looking at the Professor. I thought of his earlier question and realised that I was willing to sacrifice Rose in order to try and save her.

"Sir, in answer to your question at breakfast – yes, I am willing to sacrifice her for this." For a long moment, he surveyed me with his piercing blue eyes. I stared straight back, showing him that I was completely serious about it. He nodded at me before turning to Rose

"What about you, Rose; are you willing to sacrifice Cara?"

"Sir, I have been willing to sacrifice Cara ever since I agreed to this last night." She turned as we heard footsteps approach. "Now, I think my husband is here and we had best greet him." With that, she swept down the stairs with us following in her wake. We stopped at the outside doors, waiting for them to climb up the stairs.

"Tom, you brought friends," Rose called cheerily from the top of the stairs, smiling at her husband.

"Indeed I did, my dear. I see that you also saw fit to bring friends."

"Well, they wanted to give us their congratulations, and would also like to join us in the church this evening. So, what brings your good friends here today?"

"They too wished to extend congratulations and pray with us this evening, Rose."

We all watched the exchange in silent wonder. Rose seemed so different now. She was no longer my sweet, kind, loving sister, but instead someone unknown in Rose's body. The seventeen-year old girl had changed when he appeared and now I wasn't sure I knew her at all. They continued to talk like this for several minutes, until Dumbledore stepped forward.

"Tom, how wonderful to have you back at Hogwarts. How have you been since our last meeting?"

"Professor, I have been faring well since our last meeting. I must ask if you have reconsidered my offer to teach here."

"I am afraid I have not; however, I did not come down to tell you that. I came to give you and Rose my congratulations, Tom, and request that I join you at the church this evening."

"Thank you, Professor, I would, of course, be happy for you to join us tonight." Voldemort said, before turning towards me. "Cara, I am glad to see that you are well after the accident. Are you pleased to be becoming an aunt?"

"Of course, I am pleased to become an aunt. The news had brought me great joy, especially in light of recent events. Are we going to celebrate today?" I asked, my tone cold and distant.

"That's a great idea Ca, but I just have to pack first." Rose said, smiling brightly before Voldemort could reply. "We can go now so we're back for lunch and spend the afternoon celebrating. Tom, we'll meet you back for lunch okay?" Before he could protest, she was pulling us back inside.

The tower was empty when we reached it, as everyone else was still in classes. Mary Jane, Lily, Rose and I all ran up the stairs to our room leaving the boys behind. Rose pulled out her trunk before walking to the wardrobe and rooting through her clothes. She pulled out dress upon dress, all of which we placed in the trunk. It was quickly filled with the dresses; they were the ones Tom had given her.

"Rose, if you're not going, why are we filling your trunk?" Mary Jane asked suddenly, looking at Rose from where she sat on the bed.

"I'm filling it so that he believes I'm leaving with him. If I appear this evening with nothing, he'll know something's up. We can't have him cottoning on to the plan." There was a fierceness in her voice, in her eyes, that was unusual; she was my sister, but at that moment I barely recognised her. She seemed… stronger.

"Oh, that makes sense. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, I am; it's the only way, Mary." She sounded so sure as she spoke, it reassured me that it was the right thing. Risking my life was one thing, but risking hers was another. She came over, shut her trunk and sat down on the bed. "If this all goes badly, I want you to know that I love you; you're all my family and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here. Thank you, guys. You're the best friends I've ever had."

"I love you too; you three are like my sisters," Lily said and the four of us hugged, laughing and crying as we did. I pulled away first and went over to my nightstand. They gave me confused looks which I ignored in favour producing three wrapped packages. Once I had been released from the hospital wing, I had snuck into Hogsmeade to buy the three girls presents to remember me by before coming to tell Rose of the ritual. I walked back to them, the three small packages in my hands. I handed the first to Mary Jane. She opened it slowly to reveal a delicate silver chain. On the chain was a locket with a cat engraved on it, along with the words 'Friendship is a light within the darkness'. I handed the next one to Lily; her locket had a doe and the words 'Friends are kisses blown to us blown by angels' engraved into it. I handed the last one to Rose; it was shaped like a heart with two foxes on it and the words 'You are not just my sister, but my best friend'.

"Open them," I said softly, watching their stunned faces. They quickly opened them to reveal a picture of the four of us in Hogsmeade, smiling with our arms around each other. Tears began to roll down their faces again. "I just wanted you all to have something to remember me by."

"Thank you," Lily said softly, with the others murmuring the same and we all hugged once more. They put on the necklaces, smiling at me before we headed down to the boys. The rest of the day passed slowly, the time dragging on as we all sat in Dumbledore's office. The tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife; the boys sat glaring at Voldemort and his Death Eaters, while we sat trying to make talk with Dumbledore until the evening came.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-Five – Rose**

**A Holy Place**

In Dumbledore's office, surrounded by my friends, I felt more alone than ever. I watched Cara, my brave, beautiful sister, as she made small talk with the Professor, our friends, my husband and our enemies. I realised in that moment just what we would be missing without her.

Obviously her physical presence would disappear; she was the only blonde in our group, and her fierce blue-grey eyes, which could watch you like a hawk and see through you with ease, were probably going to be the feature I missed most. In those eyes you could see light, laughter, love and life; in those eyes, my sister showed the world she was unafraid to die. She was probably the bravest person I had ever met, and I was letting her die for me.

It wasn't just her physical presence I would miss, though; while her beauty was shocking, her mind and thoughts would me the worst thing to lose. She always had a joke to make me feel better; always a word to provide me comfort or reassurance; always had a plan to sort out whatever was wrong. She was my light in the darkness that surrounded us, and her sacrifice would be the same as her life – it would provide life for others.

I could feel my heart breaking as I stared at her. I was so preoccupied that I didn't notice Tom moving across the room to my side. I only realised he was there when he touched my face, drawing me around to look at him. Instantly I shielded my mind, dropping any thoughts and emotions and blanking my mind from his searching eyes.

"Rose," he murmured. "You have not greeted me properly yet." I almost punched him. He was a monster!

But, instead of resorting to muggle duelling, I leant forwards and kissed him softly. He grabbed my face as I tried to draw back, keeping me there as he forced my lips open.

I broke away and pushed him back with sure hands. "Tom," I protested. "We are in public, and what with my situation… You wouldn't want me to lose our child, would you?"

He growled under his breath and moved away, smiling quickly. His red eyes glowed briefly with his anger, but he nodded. "Is it not time that we left?" he snapped. I smiled as Dumbledore answered.

"It is almost dinner time, Tom," he protested, softly. "Surely you will not pass up the chance to sit at the top table? Just this once?"

He glared at Dumbledore and looked at me, about to decline, but I reached out to him and took his hand, trying to hide the grimace of disgust I felt at touching him voluntarily. "Tom, please? This place… I have learnt to love it, and would like one more meal before we leave. Besides," I added hastily, "The church will be busy this time at night. We should wait until later, if we wish to be alone."

He nodded, reluctantly agreeing. "Come, then, wife," he said, holding out a hand to me. "Let us have your… final meal."

I clenched my teeth as I smiled and raised my chin, taking his hand and allowing him to pull me to my feet. I took his arm as he led the way down, away from the safety of Dumbledore's office.

If I had looked behind me, I would have seen the anger and worry on Sirius and Cara's faces. I would have seen them look at each other, and heard them whisper, "She's not acting right." I would have realised that they didn't recognise me as this, the person I had to be to fight him. I should have realised that; it might have helped a little later on.

But I didn't look behind me, and I allowed Tom to lead me away, down to the Great Hall.

The doors opened before him as he bent down to whisper in my ear, "You are going to be a fine mother." I smiled, falsely, up at him as the entire school turned, staring at us in shock. A large amount of Slytherins stood up, bowing, as a large amount of Gryffindors stood, raising their wands.

Instantly worried, I broke away from Tom and raised my hands. "Please, everyone, calm down and put your wands away," I ordered. Tom placed his hands on my waist and pulled me back to him, his wand in his hand. He looked amused, but I ignored him and appealed to the people from my house. "The Dark Lord is not here for trouble. He is simply here to pick me up, and has been invited for dinner."

Whispers erupted and Frank shot out of his seat, as did Marlene and Emmeline. They were all glaring at him as the others entered the hall, realising there was going to be trouble. Frank, obviously angry, demanded, "And why would he be here to pick you up?"

"He's a criminal," Alice added, joining her boyfriend. "He should not be here."

He laughed behind me softly and I shook my head, terrified he was about to murder my roommate. "Alice, Frank, sit down," I snapped. "Just sit down and shut up. Don't be stupid."

Voldemort lifted his head from mine and said, "Rose is my wife. I have come to collect her to return home, due to her being pregnant with my child."

The hall erupted and people stared at me. All I could hear was Alice shouting at me, "You traitor! You aren't a real Gryffindor."

I gritted my teeth to stop the tears from bursting out of me. Instead, I shook my head and turned to leave, apologising with my eyes to Dumbledore. He nodded, saying, "Perhaps this was not the best idea; let us leave now, and waste no more time."

We all left the Great Hall without any more words, Tom Riddle smiling triumphantly at my side. I met Cara's eyes and wordless understanding passed between us; this was what he wanted.

Once outside, I pointed at my trunk. "What shall we do with that?"

Tom smiled and pointed his wand at it, shrinking it down and placing it in his pocket. "There. Shall we?"

I took his arm again, glancing longingly at Sirius, who looked back with understanding in his eyes. The seven Marauders – I now included myself, my sister, Lily and Mary Jane (and Peter) – stood together, clearly drawing strength from each other's presence. I drew strength from my look at them, and turned back to my husband.

Behind him were his Death Eaters, six of them. I saw Yaxley, Rookwood, Avery and Nott, but I didn't recognise the last two. Seeing them, I missed Carter. Professor Dumbledore walked next to my sister and smiled at me, trying to reassure me that this would work.

While I was willing to lose my sister to deny Voldemort something, and I was willing to lose her for my baby, I did not want to survive in a world without her. Part of me wanted to lose my life along side her this night.

We reached the gates and moved down the street, seeing the lights of Hogsmeade in the near distance. It wouldn't be long now…

When we arrived at the village, I could feel myself starting to stress out. I knew I was getting tenser and tenser as he looked down at me, eyebrows raised.

"Is something the matter, dearest?" he asked, his voice smooth and unreadable.

I shook my head violently. "No… I was just remembering our wedding day," I lied. "The church… It just seems so long ago, now."

He smiled, believing me (thank God). "It is not so long ago, but I have been waiting for this day for too long. I am glad to be bringing you home, again."

I smiled falsely back at him. He didn't want me back home other than to beat me and to toy with me. He was an evil, evil man. Sometimes I wish I could just kill him and get away with it.

I broke away from him and crossed the group standing in front of the church and placing my hand on the gate. I looked away, meeting Sirius' eyes. He mouthed, 'I love you. Stay strong'. I nodded and opened the gate, stepping inside of the church.

"How do you want to do this?" Voldemort asked, stepping inside after me. Our friends followed in, filing into the pews. "This is, after all, your party."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost nine," Sirius replied from my elbow. I took strength from his presence and nodded. I needed to be in position at midnight.

"I want to pray," I said softly. "I need to pray. Then… then we can give thanks," I said softly. Then I knelt down in front of the altar, taking the locket from my neck and holding it between my fingers.

Then, tears falling from my eyes, I prayed for help from anyone who would bother to listen.

Hours passed. I heard the clock strike ten, then eleven, then half past. When it struck a quarter to, someone knelt beside me and took my hand. I looked up and saw Sirius' face, staring at me with a strange expression on his face.

"Come on, Rose," he said softly. "It is time to give thanks."

I swallowed, replaced the necklace around my neck and stood. Sirius handed me a handkerchief. I wiped my face, drying my tears, and, smiling at him, placed it in my pocket. He grinned and stepped back.

"Tom," I called softly. He looked up and stood. "Would you join me?"

He moved forwards and I held out my hand, reaching for the man I hated most in the world and struggling to hide my emotions – a mixture of fear and excitement. He placed his hand in mine and I pulled him to the altar, placing him across from me.

"Everyone, why don't you join us?" I asked, gesturing around for everyone to join us. They did so and Tom glanced at me questioningly, so I explained, "This is a joyous occasion. I want my friends and yours to join with us. Ca," I added, nodding. "Come close to me, sister."

She took her place and I took Tom Riddle's hands in front of her. She reached out and placed her hands over ours. He glanced at her, almost jerking away, but she smiled. "After you sent Rose that letter, I looked something up in the library. I remembered that, when a woman becomes pregnant, a family member performs this ceremony. I wanted to be the one, if I may?"

He looked at me. "Did you know about this?" Instinctively, I lied. I shook my head, glancing questioningly at my sister and frowning. She smiled. "Go ahead, then," he agreed with a sigh. "Then we go."

She cleared her throat and took out her wand, placing it over out joint hands, then began.

"_By the power of the night_," she started, and a jolt of light shot out of her wand joining us. "_By the power of light_."

The magic seemed to become tangible around us, and I could see Tom's eyes widen. He tried to break away from me but couldn't and I grinned victoriously.

"What-" he began, but Cara spoke again.

"_Break this bond of dark_," she said, her voice stunningly soft. "_The love that binds is gone_."

He was struggling to pull away, but my sister and I held the most evil dark lord of all time still. Around us, bodies seemed to form in the air, and I knew that our lost family had come to give us the strength to rob him of us.

"_So separate these souls,_" she called over his angry yells. "_Let love fight again. Let life guide the way, by magic and night._"

Tears began to drip down my face as I knew what was coming. I could barely tear my gaze away from the magic that surrounded us, but I did, long enough to meet my sister's happy eyes. She would not regret this.

Behind us, I could hear a battle going on, Marauders versus Death Eaters, and I smiled. All will bring strength, even the rat.

"_I break this bond with my life_," Cara shouted, her voice magically enhanced and filling the room. "_To make it no longer blinding. Free them from the bond within_-"

She broke off as pain coursed through us, and Tom. He screamed in anger and pain as I looked at my sister, bent double under the strain of holding herself upright, and she said the final line:

"_Before love is lost and darkness wins_!"

Blinding light snapped around us and I could feel my body falling to the floor. The world went black as I heard our friends call our names.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-****Six – Cara**

**Beyond The Veil**

I opened my eyes to see myself, once again, beyond the veil and in the land of the dead. This time, I could see Rose and Tom Riddle lying on the ground next to me. It seemed that the spell worked. I stood slowly, looking around the white room, hoping to see Julian, mum or dad.

"Cara where are we?" Rose said from behind me. I turned back to look at her before answering.

"This is the realm beyond the veil; I came here when I was hit in the head."

"Does that mean we're dead?"

"I don't know Rosie, but if we are then so is he." I pointed to where Tom was lying on the ground. Rose looked at him and shuddered, moving closer to me and further away from him. I wrapped my arms around her, letting her gain strength from me. "Rosie, it's going to be okay."

"Really?" Her voice was filled with hope; it made me more determined to find a way to get her back to her body.

"Really, I came back from here only a few days ago."

"Will all three of us go back?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll be okay. The bond is broken, so he can't get you even if he goes back too."

"How can you be so sure I'll go back?"

"Because I know you and I will not rest until I get you back to your body." Rose just looked at me in blind amazement; clearly, she hadn't expected that. We stood, staring at each other. Rose's locket sat proudly on her chest, glinting softly in the light; it caught my eye and made me think of the others with their necklaces. They would be with our bodies, crying along with the boys. Lily had James and Mary had Peter to comfort them but who did Remus and Sirius have? They would all miss us, but the girls had at least got to say goodbye. I hadn't said goodbye to Remus, I hadn't told him I love him. Rose had left Sirius without being able to say she loved him, but I would get her back so she could tell him. They would get to be together and Rose could tell Remus how much I loved him, even if we wouldn't be together. If only one of us was going back, it would be her.

"Ah, how touching, Cara. You would stay dead, to save dear Rose. As admirable as your sentiments are, neither of you shall be returning. I, on the other hand, will be. Parts of my soul remain in the realm of the living, whereas all of your souls are here," Tom said, rising from the ground to stand closer to us. Rose shuddered again and moved even closer to me. "Now, girls, I must say your little spell was clever, but Rose will always be mine. If she does return, which I highly doubt, she will still be bearing my child; that makes her mine. We can just be bonded again and with no sister to save her, she will stay mine."

"No, when she returns Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, James, Lily and Mary Jane will be there to protect her from you and your Death Eaters, not that they will be in any shape to help you. That is if you do return. Dumbledore knows where the horcrux is and how to destroy it, so you'll have no way back soon."

He stared at me in shock, before laughing. "Cara. Did you really think I had only made one? I'll return, sooner or later."

"You will, but when you do, be warned that your life will be cursed for the evil you do." I spun round to see who had spoken. Four figures stood in the distance.

As they moved closer, I could see that two were men and two were women. As they moved closer, I recognised them more and more. When they were a few feet away, it finally dawned on me that they were the four Founders. Rose gasped from beside me as she realised it, too. Tom smirked at them and moved forward.

"You say I have done evil but I have only finished the work of Salazar Slytherin," Tom drawled at them as they reached us. One of the men stepped forward at his words, a look of anger and disgust on his face.

"You are finishing what I started. You kill for the sake of killing. It matters not who they are or what they do to you. You murder people in cold blood for your own amusement; that is not what I had wanted. You have defiled the noble name of Slytherin and I do not consider you to be my family – nor do the rest of your ancestors." Salazar Slytherin then turned to face Rose and me, ignoring Tom's protests and mutterings. "Girls, you have shown more courage and bravery than we thought you capable of. You were willing to sacrifice yourselves and each other to make the world a better place."

"Sir, if you can, please will you get Rose back to her body? I will give you everything I have if you do," I said, looking straight into his bright emerald eyes.

"That, my dear, is up to the two of you. Your actions here will determine if you return to the realm of the living," Helga Hufflepuff said kindly, moving closer to us. "You have passed the first test, but there are still more to go. You have chosen to save your sister, but will she choose to save you?"

"In a heartbeat; she means more to me than life." Rose said, speaking for the first time since Tom had woken.

"Very well, you are willing to die to save each other… but what would you do to save the rest of humanity from Tom there?"

I thought for a moment, before replying, "I would do anything to save them from him, but sadly he is right and no matter what he will survive with his soul still in the real world. I would fight him with my last breath to save another from him."

Helga nodded as did the others beside her. "Your choices have shown us that you fight darkness with your life. It is clear that you must be returned to fight the evil that we cannot stop from returning. Tom will indeed return to his body; we cannot stop it, no matter how much we wish to. We will help to guide back your spirits, though, as you are willing to do anything to save the world from the clutches of evil. The light inside of you will help us to guide you back."

"Thank you, thank you so much; we will destroy him if it is the last thing we do," I said as the four Founders circled around Rose and me.

"_These lost souls two,_

_Need guiding home,_

_The realm of living,_

_Is where they belong._

_Light will guide you,_

_To return and fight,_

_The lightness will win,_

_Where darkness resides,_

_Return these souls,_

_To where life calls them_."

They chanted together as the room started to disintegrate around us. The room disappeared before us and, once again, I felt myself being pulled back to life.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Seven – Rose**

**Return**

Darkness surrounded me. I couldn't feel me body, I couldn't find my eyes, I couldn't understand the world. I could still feel fear thrumming through me, and all I knew was I wanted to open my eyes and find the swirling grey orbs that contained my soul.

"Daughter," a voice said softly from beside me. I tried to spin, tried to search for him. That couldn't be my Dad… "Daughter, it is time to return home."

"Dad?" I asked, softly. I found my voice and I knew I was back.

My eyes fluttered open and I smiled as I saw the stormy-grey eyes I had been searching for staring down at me in shock and wonder.

"Rose," he whispered, sounding insanely grateful I was alive (speaking of, I was kind of happy about that, too). "You're alive."

"I am," I agreed with a small smile, then reached up and kissed him, victory and relief making me act impulsively. When I broke away from him, I said simply, "I love you."

He smiled and helped me sit up, whispering in my ear, "I love you, too."

Instinctively, I searched the church (which we were still in) for Cara, and found her body, clutched in Remus' arms. The rest of the Marauders and Dumbledore surrounded us. The Death Eaters and Tom were on the other side.

The church looked like it had been destroyed; the roof was partly broken open, the pews were upside down and the beautiful glass windows had been shattered. I didn't notice the destruction as I rose, moving steadily to my sister's side.

"Cara," I called softly as I took her hand. "Cara White, it is time to wake up. You are needed at home."

She gave a jolt and her soul re-entered her body. Her breathing turned to gasps as she opened her eyes, staring up at Remus in wonder. She grinned at him, then said, "I am so sorry, Remus. I love you."

"I love you, Cara. Don't be sorry," he replied, then leant down and kissed her.

I stood up, moving away from everyone as I stared at the body of my enemy. His Death Eaters were around him, looking confused. They stared at me, clearly asking for directions.

"He is not dead," I told them. "Only absent. He shall return."

"Then we should take the two of you home," one of them said, standing.

I snorted. "Not fucking likely. Didn't you get what just happened? I'm not his any more. I'm not bonded to him; we broke the bond. I belong to myself, not to Voldemort. Take him away."

"My Lady-"

"I said take him away!" I ordered, my voice rising in anger. "Obey me!"

They bowed as one, then reached for their master and apparated away. I felt myself sway as the anger drained from me and I was grateful as Sirius' arms caught me, holding me up as I nearly fell. I looked up at him and said softly, "Take me home."

He lifted me into his arms and replied, "It would be my pleasure, Miss White."

I rested my head against his chest and fell, gratefully, into sleep.

I woke up in Sirius' dorm room. I smirked to myself as I realised where I was. I had been in here before, of course, but the fact that he would bring me here… It was just perfect. I looked around for everyone else and smiled as I saw the other couples, curled up in their respective beds. Peter and Mary Jane were curled up, asleep, on his old bed; Lily and James were also asleep, wrapped up in each other thoroughly. Cara and Remus, holding each other tightly, were lying, staring into each other's eyes as they kissed each other.

I grinned as Sirius came back into the room from the bathroom. I sat up and reached for him automatically, and he smiled as he laced his fingers through mine. "Shall we go find somewhere more private to talk?" I asked him quietly, not wanting to wake the others. He nodded and we got up, leaving the room.

I stared down at my favourite red dress and grimaced. "Will you wait for me if I go and have a shower and change? What time is it?"

"It's some time after midday," he explained with an eye-roll. "I have been up for hours, but you just slept and slept. And you know I'll wait for you," he added, more seriously (Sirius-ly!). "I'll always wait for you."

I smiled at the man I loved and turned to go upstairs, but his next words stopped me. "Rose?"

I turned back to him. His smile widened as he said, "Bring that ring down, will you?"

I nodded and hurried up the stairs to my dorm, jumping in the shower and dressing in jeans and a t-shirt. If I had my way, I would never wear dresses ever again. In fact, if I ever did it would be because I chose to, not because any one asked me to.

Humming to myself, I picked up Sirius' ring and replaced Cara's necklace around my neck. The locket made me smile, now, whereas before it had made me sad. Before, it was her way of saying goodbye; now, it was a reminder of our love for each other.

I jumped down the last of the stairs and took a seat next to Sirius, before the fire. He looked at me for a long moment and said, "Rose, we need to talk."

I nodded, feeling the serious (Sirius!) mood. "Okay. Why don't you go first?" I offered. I needed to apologise to him, but I wanted him to get whatever he needed off his chest first. Only then could I unburden myself.

He nodded, equally serious (oh, God, I could make these jokes all day). "Rose, I… In the church, after Cara had performed the ceremony, everything changed for me. I mean, we were battling and then, suddenly, it didn't matter." He stopped, swallowing. I knew he needed me, so I reached out and placed my hand on his, trying to support him in any way I could. "I thought you were dead. You weren't breathing and you were so small… So still. I loved you, Rose, but in that moment I realised that I had never known how much. I wanted to be dead. I wanted to die because I couldn't live without you."

I stared at him as he took a deep breath and turned to me. "Rose, can I see your ring?" Mutely, I handed the beautiful piece of jewellery to him. "Rose White," he said softly, "When I gave this to you, I was making you a promise to be with you, despite the fact that you were married and could never be with me. Now, you are free, and I want to do this properly."

He released my hand and slipped off of the sofa, moving so that he was on one knee in front of me. I took a deep breath, tears sparkling in my eyes. He couldn't be…

"Rose White," he said, his voice full of the same emotion that filled me. "Will you marry me?"

The tears overwhelmed me and I simply said, "Yes, Sirius, I will." Then, sobbing, I threw myself into his arms and we kissed fiercely. I would always be with the man I loved, I realised as he placed the ring on my finger where it would stay. I would never have to hide it again.

Sirius and I stayed together, wrapped up in front of the fire, until the others began to come down from the dorm. Cara and Remus came down first, and the two of us stood, staring at our brother and sister.

I threw my arms around her and hugged her to me. "Thank you," I told her, sobbing. "Thank you so much, Ca. I can't explain… I can't tell you how much this means to me."

She grinned and hugged me back. "Rose, you know you are welcome; just like I know you would do the same for me."

"Of course," I whispered, and simply buried my face in her shoulder, inhaling and loving the smell – and the feel – of my sister. She was safe and in my arms. We would no longer live our lives in the fear of losing each other.

We were safe.

Then we broke apart and she hugged Sirius, while I moved to meet Remus' eyes. We stared at each other for a moment, before I broke out grinning and hugged him, tightly.

"Thank you," I told him. "You are the most selfless person – besides Cara – that I have ever met. Thank you for loving my sister; you both deserve the happiness. Love each other for life."

He smiled and hugged me back. "I intend to, if she'll let me."

"If I have any thing to do with it, she will," I assured him. Then the other four came down from the dorms and we were hugging and laughing, pulling all eight of us into hugs that made us laugh even more. We were together and that was all that mattered.

Everything was going to be okay.

Then, proving that everything was back to normal, James and Sirius looked at each other and said, eerily in unison, "We're hungry."

Everyone burst out laughing and we went down to a late lunch. Walking hand in hand with my fiancé, I realised that everything was brilliant. Until we reached the Great Hall, that is, and everyone inside turned to stare at us. Whispers broke out and Frank and Alice shot up, glaring at us. I winced, holding tightly to Sirius' hand, expecting a barrage that never came.

"Hey," Cara stepped forwards, Remus, James, Lily, Peter and Mary Jane moving with them. They all stood in front of us and looked extremely menacing. "Don't you dare say anything to upset her. You have no idea how much she has suffered through from this."

"She shouldn't have married him then, should she?" Marlene pointed out angrily.

Before Cara could shoot back an answer, I sighed and said, "It's alright, Ca. I do deserve this." I stepped out from behind them, waving for them to back down. The entire school stared at me, waiting with baited breath, and I began to explain. My voice started small, but it carried through the room and weaved the spell only words could create.

"When I was born, I was betrothed to the man now known as Lord Voldemort," I started. People winced, but I carried on. "I never had a choice; I was married to him age twelve. When I was fifteen, I was sent to live with him. I was too young to understand what being married meant, but trust me, he did his best to teach me." My voice turned to a monotone; I hated speaking about this but I knew I had to.

"After two years, I couldn't stand it anymore," I explained. "So I ran away. But he followed me, he always followed me; he cannot stand losing. That's what happened recently. That's why I disappeared; he tricked me into returning to him. Thank God I have the amazing friends I do, because they rescued me. But I was pregnant, and that was what was happening yesterday; Tom had come for me.

"It looked like I wasn't going to escape him," I went on, my voice barely steady. "But Cara found a piece of old magic, which she used – trying to sacrifice her own life – to break our bond and thus our marriage."

I stopped, surveying the school as the stared at me. "Call me a traitor if you will, but all I have done is try to escape him. Now you know, so go back to your lives."

I shrugged and took a seat at the Gryffindor table, loading up my plate and beginning to eat. Nobody moved until Sirius said, "Oh, yeah, and we're engaged."

Then all hell broke loose.


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty-Eight – Cara **

**Decisions**

The hall was in chaos when Sirius said they were engaged. I screamed in excitement and jumped over to my sister and her fiancé, hugging them both tightly. "CONGRATULATIONS!" I screamed, before turning serious. "I have one question though…" they exchanged worried glances as I paused. "Can I be maid of honour?" Sirius looked relieved, while Rose laughed.

"Who else would I want to do that?" The three of us laughed, ignoring the chaos surrounding us.

"You know, for a second there, you had me worried," Sirius said, once we had stopped laughing.

"Really? Why would that be?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Because I thought you were going to threaten me."

"Oh, well, I was going to wait until Rose wasn't around until I did that. She won't want to hear what I'll do to you if you hurt her. I can be quite graphic and very, very violent when it comes to looking out for Rosie." Sirius stared at me, open-mouthed, but before he could say a word the others joined us.

The couple were quickly surrounded by congratulations. After a few minutes, everyone had hugged and congratulated them, so, James being James, walked back to the table to eat. We all followed; the rest of the school was still in shock. Most of the Gryffindors glared at Rose and Sirius, before turning away, but a few people congratulated them quickly, before turning away with the rest of the table. The students in other houses just shot us dirty looks every now and again. Well, apart from the Slytherins, who looked outraged that Rose had found a way to escape Voldemort.

"So, who's your best man going to be?" Remus asked Sirius suddenly, in an attempt to break the awkward silence filling the hall.

"Erm, I don't know. Give me a chance mate, we haven't even been engaged for an hour yet," Sirius laughed between mouthfuls. I knew it would be James.

Lunch passed slowly; people were still glaring at us when we finally got up to leave. It seemed like they wouldn't forgive Rose. It wasn't fair; she never chose this, yet they were treating her as if she had. I would find a way to make them see sense. She was going to find things hard enough as it was, carrying his child. Not that that would make it easier to convince them she wasn't on his side. She was hardly going to get rid of the baby; Voldemort's child or not she would never do that to a baby, but I doubted the school would see her actions like that. Even though Rose hadn't spoken about the baby more than she had to, I knew she would keep it, but I wondered if Sirius knew. If he did, then it was fine, but if he didn't, he might break her heart when he found out. I couldn't be sure that he would want to help raise the child of Voldemort, but he may surprise me (I really hoped he did).

"Can we go see Dumbledore?" Rose asked, interrupting my thoughts. The others nodded and together we set off to find the head. We reached his office quickly, cutting through a hidden passageway to avoid the glares. At the top of the stairs I raised my hand to knock but, like always, the door opened before my hand reached it.

"Good afternoon. Miss White, Mr Black, may I offer you my congratulations?" Dumbledore said, looking up from some papers on his desk.

"Thank you, Professor." Rose paused, looking unsure about how to continue.

"I assume that you had a reason for this visit, Rose," Dumbledore prompted her, smiling gently with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Yes, I do, Sir. I wanted to ask you about my… options."

"What do you mean, your 'options'?"

"Well, Sir, I'll have the baby before the end of the year and I would like to know how I could carry on with my education," Rose said quietly, looking down at the floor. Sirius pulled her closer to him, while the others just stared at her incredulously. I guess they didn't think she would keep the baby.

"I'll help you, Rosie," I said. She looked up, smiling slightly.

"So will I, honey. I'll treat the baby like my own child," Sirius vowed softly, kissing her head gently as tears welled in her eyes.

"Well, Miss White, it would seem that you have the help and support of your friends. I suppose you could continue if you wish; I am sure we can find a way for you to study around caring for the baby. I will think about the best way for this to work and, in the meantime, I think you should go and see Madam Pomfrey; she will need to check that both you and the baby are alright. You may bring Sirius and Cara if you wish. In fact, I think it best Cara goes; the Matron will want to check her over too. Now, as for the rest of you, I do believe it is time to go back to class, as you have missed far too much school already. Right, off you go now." With that, the Professor shooed us from his office. Peter, Mary Jane, Lily and James said goodbye and started to leave for class, minus Remus who remained by my side.

"Stay safe, Ca; I can't bear losing you a third time," he said, kissing me before running off to join the others. Sirius, Rose and I walked in silence for a few minutes, before Rose stopped and turned to face us.

"Did you really mean what you said about helping?"

"Rosie, of course I meant it – this baby is my niece or nephew. Why wouldn't I want to help you? It doesn't matter to me who the father is, because the baby is still my family," I said softly, giving her a small hug.

"Honey, I meant what I said. I knew you were keeping the baby before I asked you to marry me. I will love this baby because he or she will be half you," Sirius said, watching Rose as he spoke. She went to say something else but was cut off when he kissed her.

When he stopped, she spoke again "How did you know I would keep the baby?"

"The same way Cara did; because I know you," he said simply as we carried on walking to the hospital wing. "I mean, we might only be seventeen, but we can make this work."

When we reached the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey clucked over us, checking us over and scolding me for not going to see her both this morning and yesterday morning. I had completely forgotten that she wanted to see me every morning this week because of the accident. She left me, after finding out I was completely fine after my two near death experiences. I really should stop doing almost dying. Twice in one week was far too often; the rate things were going I'd have a permanent bed here by Christmas.

I looked over to Rose and Sirius, who were holding hands and looking at Madam Pomfrey. I walked over to see what was happening. As I reached them, Rose clutched my hand too, as the Matron stood over her, lifting her robes. She waved her wand and an image appeared in the air above us. It showed the tiny curled form of the baby. I looked at the image, tears forming. Next to me, Rose and Sirius were crying at the sight.

"My baby," Rose breathed, smiling through the tears.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty-Nine – Rose**

**The Future Waits For No Man**

I smiled as we walked out of the Hospital Wing. I had my fiancé on one side of me, my best friend/sister on the other side, and a child in my womb. What could be more perfect?

"Oh," I gasped, remembering. "Cara, I need to give you something!" Then I reached into my pocket and pulled out a locket, an exact replica of mine, but the words were different. Mine said, "Blood may have brought us together, but love keeps us here'. She stared at it for a moment, trying not to cry.

"When did you have time to do this?" she asked, barely able to speak through the massive lump of tears in her throat. I knew that because it was the same for me.

I blushed, and sighed. "I cheated. I replicated the one you gave me, then changed the words with magic. I wanted you to have something, too."

She hugged my tightly, losing the battle with her tears. "I love you, Rosie."

"I love you too, Ca."

It took a little time to get back to normal. People stared at us, muttered about us, laughed at us. Slytherins came up and said horrible things to me. It was… well, horrible. But I would get over it. The first instance was the worst, to be honest. Some sixth year Slytherin that I had never met, let alone spoken to, came up to me and spat in my face, before walking away without a word.

I just stared after him, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Sirius made an angry noise, but I shook my head and said, "It's not worth it." Then I pointed my wand at my face and whispered, "Scourgify."

He snarled, but let it go.

It was the last day of term before Christmas, and we were all sitting together. Cara, Sirius, James and I were all staying for Christmas. Peter (who we were hanging out with again while he was in limbo about the Death Eater thing… they had tried to kill him for helping us and he was trying to survive) was going home, as were Mary Jane, Remus and Lily. We would miss them, so we were exchanging gifts now.

Cara and I had wanted to give the guys things like the lockets us girls wore, but they wouldn't wear anything girly, so we had spent a long time in a snow-bound Hogwarts searching for something appropriate. In the end, we found silver bracelets, men's bracelets, and had had them inscribed.

James bounced up and down as he sat down next to Lily and demanded, "Presents!"

Sirius did the same as he sat next to me. "I want presents! Now!"

"What," I teased, "You think I actually got you something?"

He grinned and kissed me, stroking my belly. I was now three months pregnant and showing a bit. "I don't need anything other than you," he told me. "You gave me the greatest gift of all when you agreed to be my wife."

"That's all lovely and sickly," James interjected, "But I want presents!"

Everyone laughed and Cara picked up James' box. "Here you go, you spoiled brat. This is from Rose and me."

He ripped off the paper as Cara handed the others out to the boys. James grinned and read the inscription aloud.

"A faithful friend is the medicine of life, and your faith gives us breath," he read, then looked up with tears in his eyes. "Jesus, guys, you made me cry! I'm a woman!"

We laughed, and Peter read his aloud, too, "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great." He looked up, eyes also filling with tears, and stared at the two of us wordlessly for a long minute. Then he hugged us both. "You guys are incredible. I don't know what I would do without your trust."

"I always hope we can share trust, Pete," I told him. "You are one of the bravest men I know."

"Yeah," Cara agreed. "Your bravery makes us stronger."

He smiled and slipped the bracelet on his wrist. Then Remus and Sirius ripped into theirs, reading the inscriptions silently and then turning to us and kissing us (each respectively, obviously) fiercely.

"What do they say, then?" Lily demanded.

"Mine says 'Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage'," Sirius said softly, kissing me again. "Thank you."

"It's true," I said softly.

"Mine says, 'Your love gives me the strength to do what I must, and the wisdom to know when I should do it'." Remus looked from the bracelet in his hand to Cara and simply kissed her, wordlessly.

She grinned. "Remus, I don't care who you are. To me, you are the man who let me sacrifice myself and stood by my bedside, waiting for me to wake up. You are the man I love."

He smiled and said, "I would wait a millennia for you."

I grinned at the two, then looked over at the others. "Happy now?" I asked James, raising one of my eyebrows.

He grinned, and said, "I can't believe you made me cry. I feel like a woman."

"You look like one, too," Sirius told him, grinning and hiding behind me when James turned to hit him." You can't hit Rose, she's pregnant!"

I laughed and told Sirius, "I won't protect you if you get yourself into your own messes." He grimaced.

"Whatever happened to unconditional love?" he asked, pretending to pout.

I grinned. "It got tired of taking punches for you."

"Is it our turn, now?" Lily asked, amused. "I want a present, too!"

I turned away and picked up two more packages. "Cara already gave you soppy necklaces, so we wanted to give you these instead."

Lily and Mary Jane ripped into the packages, and gave squeals of glee. "Rose! Cara! Thank you!"

I grinned. We'd gotten them different things, but I knew how much they wanted them. For Mary Jane, we had gone as personal as we dared. When she left, Mary Jane wanted to start her own charmed jewellery business, so we had bought her a property on Diagon Alley, with a workshop behind the store. We had wrapped the lease and the key, and she screamed and jumped up and down, excited.

For Lily, we had spent a long time trying to find the perfect thing. In the end, we decided to buy her something impersonal – the dress we had got her was beautiful, after all – and outsource something else.

"We know you want to be a healer," I explained in a soft voice. "So we found a Healer who would be willing to give you an apprenticeship after school, provided you get the NEWTs and still want to, of course."

"That's incredible," she whispered, hugging first Cara, then me. "You- I mean, you guys!"

We laughed. "I'm glad you liked it," Cara teased. "Now where is mine?"

Remus grinned and handed her a package. "I hope you like it."

Inside was a beautiful bracelet. Cara's, too, was engraved. It said, 'To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.' On the outside, and on the inside, 'Cara White, I will love you forever. Love, Remus Lupin'."

She began to cry and sobbed in his arms. I leant against Sirius and stared at her with a wry smile. He nudged me, and said, "Hey, don't you want yours?"

"You got me one?" I asked him, teasing. "I thought you wouldn't bother."

He grinned. "Well, if you don't want it…"

I smirked and he handed it over. I undid the wrapping paper quickly and pulled out the present. It was in two parts; one was a picture frame, made of silver, with a decoration of hounds chasing foxes. I laughed aloud at that. He grinned as I studied the picture, a moving one of the two of us, moving to an invisible rhythm. We were dancing… Like we only had once before, just after the Church. He had held me and we had danced, and it had meant so much to me.

The other bit was a charm bracelet. It had nine charms on it; eight represented each of us in our animal forms, even Lily and Mary Jane, despite the fact they couldn't change into their forms. The ninth charm was a rose.

I held it out to him and he placed it on my wrist. I smiled and kissed him, and we turned back to opening presents.

After the others left, we sat around the fire. I was curled up in Sirius' arms, and James and Cara were playing an amusing game of wizard's chess. Amusing, because Cara was losing.

I laughed as she lost another of her pieces. She glared at me, and then bit her lip as she struggled to find a move that would save her. Both Sirius and I could see one, but we weren't about to offer help if Cara was finally failing at something.

"So," James asked as she was fussing, "What's the plan for the holidays?"

I stared off into the night, looking through the window. "I can't believe I have to stop playing Quidditch."

"It's for the baby's safety," Sirius pointed out. I glared at him, annoyed.

"I'm not stupid, you know," I snapped angrily. "I know exactly why I have to stop, I just don't want to. Quidditch is the one time I am free from this- this stupid crap that fills my life, and now it's being taken away, so excuse me for being upset!" I pulled out of his arms and tried to storm out, but he grabbed me around the waist.

"Rose," he said, his voice a gentle reprimand. "Calm down. You know what I meant."

I sighed, my anger melting away instantly. "Sorry."

Cara and James exchanged grins. "Hormones?" she asked.

"Mood swings already," James added. "It's going to be a long pregnancy… Thank God I'm not her fiancé."

"Ha, ha," Sirius muttered, sarcastically. "Very funny. You're a regular stand up comedian. Maybe you should go on stage."

I grinned and kissed him. "Just tell me I'm being a hormonal idiot. I will try and control myself."

"Don't worry about it," he muttered as we sat back down.

"So what are we going to do this holiday?" James asked again, placing Cara in checkmate and smiling victoriously.

"We are going to destroy the horcrux we already have," I said softly, "And then we are going to find the others. This ends before my baby is born; I will not bring up a child in a world where he exists."

The others looked at me, and then Cara said, "Then let's get planning."


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty – Cara**

**Holidays and Plans**

The boys just stared at us in utter disbelief (well at least they'd forgotten that I'd lost at chess). It was clear to me that Rose was right about this; when the baby was born he would have to be gone. After a few minutes of silence, I gave up waiting for the boys to come to terms with it and stood up. Much to the surprise of the others, I walked off to the girls' bedrooms. The room was empty when I got there, Rose and me being the only seventh year girls here for the holidays. I went over to my trunk and began digging around for the books Dumbledore had given me back in September. I then grabbed some parchment, quills and ink. If we were planning this then we would do it properly, so we could look at every option. When I got back downstairs, I dumped what I'd fetched onto the table and sat back down to be met with confused looks.

"What? I thought we were going to plan how to find and destroy his horcruxes. We can't do that without research and careful planning." With that said, I reached for the top most book, 'Secrets of the Darkest Art'. I flicked through, trying to find the page on destruction. After a few moments I found it and began to read.

"_Horcruxes can also be destroyed by others, seeing as the piece of the soul depends upon its container to survive; the opposite of a human being. Destruction of a Horcrux is difficult, but not impossible, and requires that the receptacle to be damaged completely beyond physical or magical repair. When a Horcrux is damaged to this point, it may appear to "bleed" and a scream may be heard as the soul fragment perishes. It is unknown if the creator of the Horcrux will be able to sense that his soul fragment was destroyed. All known methods of Horcrux destruction are as deadly as the creation. For example, the earliest known method is administering basilisk venom to the Horcrux, the procurement of which is next to impossible. Other known methods are Fiendfyre, which requires extreme skill to control and the Killing Curse (extremely Dark magic) which is capable of destroying a Horcrux if it is animate_."

I began to scribble on the parchment the ways to destroy a horcrux before picking up another book, 'Magick Moste Evile'. I flicked through it, but it barely mentioned them, only saying that 'of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction'. That didn't help, so I tossed the book aside and began checking the rest, but again none of the books said more than that of the horcrux. They all said they were unthinkably evil but nothing more, so I tossed them aside too. The others still hadn't said anything as I began to read more from Secrets of the Darkest Art. I reached a page headed 'Powers' and began to read aloud once more.

"_The fragments of a person's soul within a Horcrux can think for themselves and have certain magical abilities, including the ability to influence those in their vicinity. If someone without an affinity for the darks arts holds the horcrux they will become moodier and more prone to fighting. They will also be unable to summon their Patronuses while handling the Horcrux, as the soul fragment inside darkens their thoughts. A person with an affinity for the Dark Arts, on the other hand, would be strengthened by the influence of a Horcrux. If a person is more emotionally vulnerable, it is possible for the soul inside the Horcrux to take control of him or her. In this way, a Horcrux can gradually feed on another person's life or negative emotions to strengthen itself and increase the ability of the soul fragment within to act independently in the physical world. However, Horcruxes which have been isolated for long periods of time may be very passive by comparison and take no real measures to protect themselves. Horcruxes also possess some last line of defence against destruction. The fragment of soul within the Horcrux may be able to sense impending threats and act to defend itself_."

"So the things are bloody impossible to kill and can take control of us; anything else we need to know?" Sirius asked as I wrote down the new information. I smiled and nodded.

"Sounds about right, which means this is going to be a lot of fun to plan." I said and began to put everything away for the night. Rose and I headed back up to the room and fell into bed. The rest of the holiday passed in much the same way and by Christmas morning we had discovered where to find a basilisk fang filled with venom (we had gone to Knockturn Alley and checked the black market). We just needed to find out what the other horcruxes were and where to find them, but at least we would have one destroyed by New Year.

We spent Christmas morning opening presents that we had been sent and exchanging gifts. The boys had already been given their presents, but James hadn't given us our presents (we both got Honeydukes chocolates). After that, I just had to give Rose her present from me. I had got her a beautiful music box; it had a dancer that twirled around to the soft sound of familiar piano tunes. She smiled and gave me a hug. "Thank you. Is that me playing the music?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, I made it myself." I said, blushing slightly, before handing her another wrapped box. "This one's for the baby." Rose beamed and tore of the paper. She opened the box and found a gorgeous white layette. Underneath was a tiny yellow teddy, it was made of soft cotton and had a simple smiling face stitched on to it. Next to the teddy was a simple silver keepsake box with a matching photo album. Rose smiled at me as tears poured down her face. I smiled and hugged her as she cried.

"Cara, that's so sweet; I love it," she said when she finally stopped crying. I pushed her back and opened the album for her; in the first slot was a picture of her and Sirius. I had taken it last month on bonfire night, they had been watching the fireworks holding hands and smiling. Underneath the picture was the words 'Mummy and Daddy'. When Rose saw this she burst into a fresh wave of tears and showed Sirius what I had got for the baby.

He smiled and gave me a hug, "Thank you, Ca; it's really sweet."

"It's fine; I wanted to get something for the baby."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you are the baby's dad. You're the one who's going to be there, you're going to watch them grow up, hold them when they're ill, not him. You're going to be the baby's dad in every way that matters, not him. You're the one that will be there, not him."

No-one spoke for a minute, until James decided to change the subject. "So who wants to have a snowball fight after lunch?"

"I'm in, but I don't lose," I said, causing James to snort at me.

"Me too," Rose and Sirius said at the same time. I looked at James and rolled my eyes at him as Sirius started to argue with Rose.

"You can't have a snowball fight in your condition."

"Yes, I can, and if you try to stop me I'll curse you into next week. I will be fine; there is enough stuff I have to give up without giving up this."

Sirius shut up (wisely) and we went down to lunch. The snowball fight was fun and, true to my word, I won. We went on teams, girls v boys and by the time we stopped James and Sirius were begging for mercy. We came back in, laughing and joking and decided to start on the chocolate.

Boxing day, everything went back to how it had been before Christmas and we carried on planning how to find the other horcruxes. We carried on like this and by New Year's Eve we had a basilisk fang and a way to get to the first one. We planned to leave the next day so that we had one destroyed before the end of the holidays.

The next morning, we all woke up early and hurried to get ready. We met in the common room when we were all ready and head off down one of the passages out of the school. Once we were in Hogsmeade, I lead the others to the shack where we had hidden two brooms. We had decided that two was less conspicuous than four, that and Rose wasn't allowed to fly alone anymore. Sirius got on one behind Rose and James got on behind me. I flew, leading the way as only I knew where it was. It took several hours, but we got there eventually. We were in a little woodland just beyond our old house. We landed and I led them to a small cavern hidden beneath the trees.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty-One – Rose**

**Destroying a Horcrux**

I glanced around as Cara led the way through the trees, into the cavern. I remembered now that I was here; the last time we were here we had hidden the horcrux and I would thank God for Cara – it had been her idea to hide it here, where only Whites and our guests could enter.

We stepped inside, opening the cave simply by touching it. Sirius and James entered, following Cara, and I followed, careful to close the cave behind me so that no one could follow us.

"Lumos," I whispered, lighting my wand, and then I followed the others deeper into the cavern. All four of us had our wands lit up, and we were following Cara.

She turned back to us and whispered, "It's just in here. Everyone stay very, very quiet. We don't want anything to wake up."

Then she stepped past a crevice and, one by one, we followed her. The part of the cave we were in was small, and held a naturally grown altar, on which we had placed the cup. Thankfully, it was still there. Cara glanced at me, and said, "I think this one's yours, Rose. This one is yours to destroy." She handed me the basilisk fang, and not even Sirius protested as I walked towards it.

I could feel the malevolent presence radiating out of it. The moment I reached it and lifted the fang, it moved, and Tom Riddle's voice echoed out of it.

"Rose White…" it whispered, and darkness jumped out of it to surround me. "I have seen your heart Rose White… I know your darkest fears, and they are true."

"Don't listen, Rose!" Cara yelled. "Stab it."

I struggled for a moment and the voice spoke again. "Your fears are nothing but truth, for you do not deserve them and they shall soon realise this. Then they will leave you… And your baby."

I screamed in anger and stabbed down, crumpling the cup with the fang. It let out a metallic shriek and the soul burst out of it, dying in front of me. Tom Riddle's red eyes stared at me for a long moment while it screamed, then it evaporated into nothingness.

I dropped the fang, breathing heavily, and stepped back. Sirius pulled me too him and kissed my forehead. "It's over," he said.

I nodded. "Let's go home."

Cara smiled and led the way out. We were all outside when I heard a cracking sound and shouted, "Get down!" without pausing to think. We hit the floor and seven jets of light shot over our heads. I drew my wand and cast a shield charm, turning to see where they had come from.

Seven Death Eaters surrounded us and I grinned fiercely. It was about time I got to duel someone, I thought, and shot a stunner straight at the first one. He was too slow to react and got hit in the heart. This cued everyone to move, and the battle begun.

I danced back and forth, shooting stunners and shield charms almost alternately. I darted around the others and shot another spell as Cara and Sirius each dropped their opponents. James had already dropped his. With four down, the three kicked their spells up a gear and began shooting unforgivables.

I growled in anger and parried one of theirs, turning it back on the castor, who screamed in agony. I shot a stunner at him and he fell. The other two shot looks at each other and turned to run, but Cara and James shot stunners at them and they fell too.

Suddenly, it was quiet.

"Come on," I said softly. "Let's actually get out of here, this time." The others laughed and we took up the brooms, flying away quickly. Behind me, Sirius tightened his arms and I leant against him happily. We had done it; we had destroyed one of the horcruxes.

Now for the others…

We arrived back at Hogwarts to an angry Professor McGonagall. "Where exactly have you been?" she snapped. I winced, and Sirius smoothly stepped in front of us.

"Now, Minnie," he said, a small smile on his lips. "Is that anyway to greet us? We've had a very difficult morning already."

"_Sirius Black!" _she shrieked, angrily. "I do not CARE if you have had a difficult morning. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Professor," I said, instinctively stepping in front of my fiancé. "We went to destroy something… Professor Dumbledore knows about it and has sanctioned it."

"Well, not precisely," Dumbledore muttered as he walked towards us. He looked at me, then turned to stare at Cara. "Well?"

"One down," she told him, barely able to hold back a grin. "Only… well, I have no idea how many more there are."

"You are in luck, then, Cara," he said. "Because I do. Come with me, please, all of you."

We followed him up to his office, exchanging worried glances. He took a seat behind his desk and gestured for us to sit in front of him. Then he began to explain.

"While you have been struggling to work out a way to destroy the horcrux you already had, I have been researching what the others might be. Please," he added, gesturing to the Pensieve. "Watch."

We all leant forwards and touched the Pensieve.

Once we were spat back out of it, I had to sit down. I understood…

"Seven," I croaked, horrified. "Seven. How could he do that?"

Dumbledore sighed. "We do not know if he has managed to do seven, but we do know-"

"The locket," Sirius muttered. "The cup we have done. The ring… What about the others?"

I stared past them, seeing without seeing. "Cara…" I whispered. "Look into the future."

"Rose, I don't know how to," she pointed out.

"Just do it," I told her, and she closed her eyes. We sat in silence for a moment, before I sighed and reached over, holding her hands. "See, Cara White. Use your powers, gifted to you by your heritage and your destiny. See, Cara White; see what you must see, know what we must know. Find the answers," I urged.

Then she gasped and opened her eyes, staring at me blankly.

"_Seven Horcruxes, seven souls_," she whispered. "_A ring, first, and a diary. A cup and a locket. The diadem and the snake… And an infant not yet born. These are what the Dark Lord shall choose. The last part of his soul, ripped and torn beyond repair, resides in his ruined body. Destroy him…_"

I swallowed and dropped her hand. "The ring his grandfathers," I explained. "He showed it to me once. I didn't realise what I was seeing… he must have hidden it back in the ruins of his old home. The diary… I have no idea where that might be."

"Malfoy," James said suddenly. "He's given it to Malfoy."

"How do you know?" Cara asked curiously, as she returned to normal.

"He was showing off the other week, in one of the bathrooms. Said he'd been specially 'chosen'. He's got it, I'd bet my life on it."

I nodded. "That sounds about right. Tom knows that the coward like Malfoy would never dare to betray him. The cup we have done, the locket… We'll have to search for. The diadem… Where would he want to hide that?"

Sirius said softly, "Where is most important to him? His home?"

I shook my head. "No. His first home was Hogwarts; he has always hated wherever else he has lived."

"Well," Dumbledore said, "Perhaps he has hidden it here."

We all looked at him, and Cara asked, "But where?"

James grinned, understanding. Then Sirius understood, too, and the best friends – the single soul in two bodies – looked at each other and said, "The Room of Requirement."

I grinned, too. "Perfect! It's perfect! The arrogance of that man; he must think that he alone is the only man to have found the school's darkest secrets, when actually…"

We all smiled evilly. "Well, let's go!" Cara said. "Let's go and get it."

"What about the snake?" Dumbledore asked as we stood, walking swiftly down and out of his office.

I shrugged. "I've never seen him with one, and if he'd turned it into a horcrux it would always be with him, right?"

He nodded, and James led the way to the Room of Requirement. He stared at it for a minute, then said, "What should I be thinking of?"

"I need the room where everything is hidden," I said softly. He nodded and the five of us focused. The door appeared and we went inside.

"Let's split up," Dumbledore suggested. "Find it."

We nodded and moved off. I searched for a long, long time – perhaps hours – before I heard Cara yell, "I have it!"

We turned and ran to join her. She stood, holding a beautiful diadem in her hands, and I handed her the basilisk fang. "This one's yours."

She smiled and stabbed it, not hesitating like I did. It let out a scream, louder than the cup had, and we jerked back. Sirius wrapped his arms around me, pulling me away from it and shielding my head as the thing let out the black part of his soul.

The dust resettled around us as I looked up, hesitantly. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah," everyone called out as we stood up again. "Jesus…"

"Well," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Two down."

"Only five more to go," I added, grinning. Sirius spun me around, kissing me happily.

"Let's get back to the common room," he suggested. "And then we can have the rest of the evening off."

I smiled and said, "Lead the way, my love."


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty-Two – Cara**

**This Means War**

I watched the others head back to the common room. Sirius had his arms around Rose and James was walking along beside them. I waited, not following them back. I needed to talk to Dumbledore. Once they were out of earshot, I turned to Dumbledore "Sir, we can't get rid of him."

"What makes you say that Miss White?"

"_One will rise stronger than all,_

_The power to vanquish,_

_To love and conquer all,_

_From ashes and tears,_

_He will rise to suffer,_

_A saviour for all,_

_The Chosen One._

_Dark will be vanquished,_

_Light will win,_

_Love conquering all._

_The Stag and the Doe,_

_Will live in memory,_

_Their sacrifice more than love,_

_The Chosen One their son,_

_Saving humanity,_

_For humanity saves him._

"It's the first prophecy I ever made. It means that we won't kill Voldemort, the son of James and Lily will and that's not the only prophecy about it. The Chosen One shall be born to the Stag and the Doe. Twice now I have foretold their son being the one to kill him and others have foretold the same."

"I see. It seems everyone else has forgotten this. Very well, I suggest you go and join the others. We may not be able to kill him and he may yet create more horcruxes, but we can destroy as many as possible to help the child. Right, off you go now, Miss White." I started down the corridor after them and he called after me, "Oh, I think it would be wise not to inform the others for the time being."

I turned my head towards him. "Of course, Professor." With that, I skipped away. I reached the others, who had stopped to wait for me, and together we headed back to the tower. We spent the rest of the holiday relaxing and waiting for the others to come back. We had written to them to explain what had happened and in return we had got some interesting replies. Lily scolded us for not being careful, Mary Jane congratulated us, Peter had been happy about the news and Remus was annoyed we had gone without him. We had sent them all appropriate replies and waited for them to return.

Everyone came back a few days after New Year. Mary Jane and Peter were the first back, arriving early in the morning. Lily arrived a few hours later, but Remus still hadn't appeared by lunch time. The common room slowly filled throughout the day, but by the end Remus still hadn't appeared. I sat up late, waiting for him and ended up falling asleep in the common room.

I woke up in the early hours of the morning, tangled in a blanket someone had put over me. I sat up, looking around and almost instantly my eyes found Remus curled up in the chair next to me, a book in his hands. I jumped up, wrapping him in hug and covering his face in kisses. "Why are you so late back?" I asked, between kisses.

"I was with my family. My aunt was killed yesterday and we found her body this morning." I looked at Remus properly and saw tears filling his red-rimmed eyes. I kissed him again and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Remus. Do you know what happened to her?"

It took him a moment to answer, but he did in a sad heartbroken voice "Death Eaters; they left a note." He moved slightly to pull something from his pocket, and then he handed it to me. There were eight words written on it in what appeared to be blood. '_Tell them he wants it back or else_.' It was clear what it meant; we had caused this. He was killing the family of our friends now that we had no more family to kill. We cried in each other's arms, finding comfort in each other. We stayed like that until Rose came and woke us the next morning.

"Guys come on you need to get up," she called, shaking me gently before rushing off to be sick. She came back a few minutes later grinning. "I really hate morning sickness."

I grinned back before I remembered Remus' aunt. I quickly told Rose what had happened before Remus woke up. She looked horrified that we had caused this, but there was nothing we could do now. The others came down shortly after and Rose filled them in.

As the day wore on I saw how hard this was for Remus. He blamed himself and wasn't able to cope. We all tried to help him, but he just sat there, silently staring out of the window. It was early when he left for bed; no-one else had gone up yet so I slipped up after him. He was sat with his back to me, staring at something in his hands. I moved closer; it was a picture of him and I presumed his aunt.

"Is that your aunt?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, that's her. She meant so much to me; when I was turned she looked after me while my parents tried to accept it. They didn't know what to do with me, but she was like you. To her it didn't matter what I was, she still loved me. She was always the one I turned to; even after my parents had accepted me she was the only person I trusted not to turn away from me."

We didn't speak again that evening; instead, we lay down on his bed and I held him as he cried.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty-Three – Rose**

**An Appointment Or Three**

I woke up the next morning and ran to the bathroom to be sick. Cara had never come back the night before – I knew she was with Remus – so it was Lily who held my hair back and helped me up afterwards. I smiled weakly at her, and said, "Thank you."

She grimaced. "I'm really glad it's you who is pregnant, not me."

I smirked at her and went to get washed up.

I hurried downstairs, passed Cara, Lily and Mary Jane, and ran straight into Sirius' arms. He stepped back as he caught me, but grinned and kissed me. "How are you, beautiful?"

I just shook my head and wrapped my arms around him, not looking up from his chest. "Rose? Rosie, are you alright?" he asked, confused. I found myself crying softly into his chest, and he tightened his arms around me automatically. "Rosie, what's wrong?"

I sobbed, but then simply said, "Nothing. I'm just being all… hormonal!"

He laughed and lifted my face from his chest, wiping my tears away and kissing me. "Well, I am glad that's all that's wrong in our world, because it means we get a beautiful baby out of it soon."

I smiled. "I can't believe I'm four months pregnant…"

He grinned. "I can. You're getting big," he muttered, stroking my belly. "But you get more beautiful – and sexier – every day." Then he leant down and kissed me.

We hadn't actually had sex yet. I mean, we were engaged, we were in love, and we were going to have a baby together… But we still hadn't slept together yet.

I wanted to, but when we talked about it he simply said, "We'll do it when the time is right – whenever that is." That was one of the many reasons I loved that boy.

"Come on," he said with a smile. "Let's go; we have an appointment with Madam Pomfrey."

I grinned and took his hand as he led me out of the common room and towards the hospital wing. Today was my fourth month appointment – it was also the day we found out our baby's gender.

He led me in and Madam Pomfrey looked up, smiled, and asked, "No Cara?"

"Not today," I told her. "She's… with Remus."

"Ah," she said sadly, losing her smile. "Such a shame about his aunt. She was a good woman." We all paused for a second out of respect, but then she smiled and gestured to the bed. "Shall we?"

I took off my robe, leaving me in just my skirt and shirt, and pulled that up out of the way. Sirius sat by my side, holding my hand, and Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand. She cast a few spells, then waved her hand, showing us the picture of our baby- wait, what?

"What?" I heard Sirius ask. I was too stunned to move as I stared at the picture of two beautiful babies curled up together.

"Twins," Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, happily. "You're having twins!"

"Oh, Merlin," I whispered. "That's…" Searching for words, I stared at Sirius. For a long moment, neither of us moved, then, slowly, we began to smile.

"Brilliant," he said, squeezing my hand.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at the two of us. "Now," she said. "Do you want to know the genders?"

I grinned and said, "Yes, please!" at the same time Sirius said, "Of course!"

We smiled at each other as she waved her hand again, then turned to us with a smile on her face. "A boy and a girl," she told us, and Sirius wrapped his arm around me, hugging me tightly.

"One of each," I whispered, and he smiled. "Perfect."

We walked down to Defence Against the Dark Arts (we had missed first period Transfiguration) hand in hand, extremely excited as we thought about names. He was saying, softly, "We should name the girl after Cara, because she is the reason you're here with me."

I smiled. "I thought so, too, but I'd get confused all the time… How about Cara as a middle name?"

He smiled. "I like that. What about the boy?"

"I want Sirius as his middle name," I said as we stepped into the classroom. The whole class looked up and Grey glared at us.

"Late, Miss White, Mr Black? You know that means points deducted," he pointed out.

"Sorry, Professor, but we were in the Hospital Wing. We had an appointment with Madam Pomfrey," Sirius explained, leading me to my seat with a polite smile at the teacher we all hated. He had calmed down a bit since the start of the year (since we turned his classroom into a swamp) but I still had to sit next to Lucius Malfoy, and Sirius was still with Bellatrix.

I smiled at Lucius as I sat down, and he nodded back, uncomfortable. "Very well," Grey said with a long-suffering sigh. "We are studying curses and curse removal."

I smiled and we started work again, but the door opened and Professor McGonagall poked her head in. She looked sombre, and said, "Professor Grey, could I borrow the White sisters, please?"

He glared at her. "The White sisters are currently in a lesson. Can this not wait?"

"No," she said shortly. "I am afraid it can't. I think we should have Mr Black and Mr Lupin, too, if you will."

We hurriedly stood up and left the room together, following her down the stairs towards the entrance hall. "What is it, Professor?" Cara asked, worriedly.

McGonagall sighed, and said, "I am afraid there are some… _people_ here to see you."

I exchanged a glanced with Cara, then took Sirius' hand. He wrapped his arm around my waist and whispered, "Don't be afraid. If it's him, he won't hurt you."

"He'll hurt you, instead," I pointed out, "And that's not acceptable to me."

We stopped at the foot of the marble staircase, and Voldemort stepped forwards, flanked by his Death Eaters.

I stepped forwards, flanked by my friends and two professors – Dumbledore was here, too – and said, "What do you want?"

He smiled. "What, no greeting?"

I glared at him. "You don't own me anymore, Tom, so I don't have to put up with your crap. What do you want?"

"You know, people call me-"

"I know what they call you," I pointed out. "But there is no way I will ever call you 'my lord'."

He snorted. "I was your lord, once."

"Only because you _bought_ me as a child," I said angrily. "Now, what do you want?"

"To know the sex of my child, of course," he said sweetly. Anger thrummed through me and I could almost feel the magic in the room react. I know the others felt it, because wands were drawn automatically and Tom smiled.

"The child I carry is not yours, Tom Riddle," I told him softly. "You may be its sire, but you are not its Father. It shall carry the surname 'Black'."

He hissed. "You cannot choose that; I am its Father."

"You are nothing," I told him, "And you will die. You will not win, Tom; this has been foretold." He stepped towards me angrily but I put out a hand in warning. "No, you come no closer. You cannot touch me now, and do you want to know why?"

He hissed again and reached out, trying to grab my hand. The moment he made contact he gave a screech of pain and jumped backwards. I smiled. "You don't understand, Tom Riddle. My sister died for me-"

"She is alive and well!"

"She intended to die and that is enough." I stared at him, for a moment pitying the twisted and tormented soul. "Oh, Tom, where did it all go wrong? You could have been a good person."

He stared at me angrily and brought out his wand. "I shall kill you, then, if I cannot have you."

I smiled and said, "Try it, I dare you." The others moved anxiously around us, but I simply met Voldemort's red eyes with my mismatched ones, and waited him out. Eventually, he dropped his wand and turned away.

At the doors, he looked back. "Well? Are you going to tell me?"

I sighed. "The child I carry has nothing to do with you. Leave."

He did so, the doors clanging shut behind him. Cara reached out and grabbed my hand, saying as she did, "Well? Are you going to tell _me_?"

I smiled at her. "Twins. A boy and a girl."

She shrieked and jumped up and down, hugging me tightly, then hugging Sirius. I rolled my eyes at her and took Sirius' hand, saying, "Come on, let's get to Charms."

We walked together up the stairs to the Charms classroom, and then settled down to try and learn something.

When we got down to lunch, I found myself smiling as we sat down. Everyone was looking at Sirius and me expectantly, so I nodded to my fiancé. "Why don't you tell them?"

He smiled. "But it's so nice them not knowing. We get some peace and quiet while they wait…"

I sighed and snuggled into his side. "Tell them."

He smirked, and looked his best friends in the eye, then said. "We're going to have twins – a boy and a girl."

I winced. You would have thought a bomb went off in the Great Hall at the noise our friends were making. Lily and Mary Jane were screaming happily, James, Peter (who had managed to wrangle his way back to Gryffindor – somehow) and Remus (who had heard earlier, but apparently wanted to make more noise) were all shouting their congratulations, and the whole of the school was watching us.

Slowly, the news spread, and people were coming over to congratulate us. I smiled, then leant over to Sirius and whispered, "Will you come with me to the Room of Requirement after Care of Magical Creatures? There is something I want to do."

He smiled and said, "Whatever you want, sweetheart. I'm yours to command."

I grinned. "That was what I was hoping you'd say."

After Care of Magical Creatures we walked back to the Common Room, where I went upstairs to get changed. I pulled on the clothes I wanted to wear and my cloak over the top then went back downstairs and drew him up to the Room of Requirement. Once there, I closed my eyes and focused on my favourite place again, but, this time, a different room.

"A bedroom?" Sirius asked as we walked in. I shut the door and smiled to myself as I removed my cloak. I heard his breath catch and my smile widened.

"You…" He stared at me, unable to speak. I walked to him and kissed him. I was wearing a very tight-fitting dress – not a long one, a short one – and I knew the effect it had on him.

"Sirius," I said softly. "I love you, and I want to be with you. Forever. But there is one thing we have left to do, and soon I'll be too big to do it properly, so I want to do it now, rather than later, after the babies are born."

"What's that?" he asked huskily, kissing down my neck. I shivered at his touch and let my head fall back, giving him more access.

"This," I whispered as I led him to the bed. "This is exactly what I want to do."

Then I pulled him down on the bed and whispered, "Make love to me, Sirius Black."


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty-Four – Cara**

**Threatening**

I sat at the table watching for Rose and Sirius; they had disappeared after Care of Magical Creatures and hadn't come down to dinner yet. I waited anxiously, looking up every time I heard someone walk in. I was putting the others on edge with my jumpy behaviour; they hadn't been worried by their absence like I was. "They'll be absolutely fine Ca, stop worrying," Remus said, laughing and pulled me back towards the table after I had turned to the door for the hundredth time.

I glared at him, "She is four months pregnant and if they're not back soon I'm going to bloody kill him. I guess he didn't take my warning all that seriously."

Remus grimaced. "What exactly did you say?"

"I told him that if he ever hurt, took advantage or even upset her I was going to curse his balls off then force them down his throat, crush every bone in his body to dust and curse him in to oblivion."

The others gulped and looked a little scared. "Wow, I thought what Rose threatened to do to Remus was bad, but that was something else. Poor Sirius," James said, grinning at me.

I scowled, turning to Remus, "What exactly did she say?"

"Something about having her to answer to if I hurt you, bone crushing and the ways she could castrate me."

"Sounds like Rose." I grinned.

"Well, it's not like you guys meant it though, is it," Lily said, laughing softly.

"Oh no, we meant every word of it, honey." James and Peter sniggered until I continued on, "James, Pete you do know the same thing applies to you if you ever hurt Lily or Mary." That shut them up. At that moment, Rose and Sirius came in the hall, bright eyed and glowing. They reached us to find the boys looking scared and us girls laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked, dropping into the seat next to me.

"We were just discussing the threats we made to the boys. I was wondering if I would have to carry out my threats on Sirius when it dawned on me that James and Peter hadn't been told what would happen if they hurt the girls." I grinned before turning serious. "So, where were you and will Sirius be eating his own bollocks for dinner?"

Rose grinned but didn't answer, a blush creeping over her already flushed checks. I looked at her and her eyes sparkled with happiness. Well, she hadn't said a word but I knew exactly what they'd been doing. I laughed and turned to Sirius, saying, "Looks like you're off the hook this time." His face sagged with relief, but his hand stayed protectively over his crotch all through dinner.

We went back to the common room after dinner and started to play exploding snap. We played for hours, laughing and joking as we did, but I noticed that all four of the boys kept there crotches covered all evening. By the time we finally stopped playing, the common room was empty. Mary Jane turned to Rose and asked her, "Have you thought of any names for the twins?"

Rose smiled. "Well we've settled on middle names. Cara for the girl and Sirius for the boy, but we haven't chosen the first names yet."

"Well, obviously you want to name the boy after their favourite uncle," James said before I could say anything about her naming one of them after me. I was touched, but I didn't know how I could possibly tell her how much it meant to me.

Remus laughed, "I'm touched, but you don't need to name him after me guys."

James pouted. "What makes you think you'd be favourite uncle? I mean I'm way cooler than you, Moony. No offense, mate."

"Really, Prongs, just admit it; I'm way cooler than you."

"Actually, I think you'll find that I'm going to be the favourite uncle," Peter said, laughing at the two pouting boys. The boys carried on the ludicrous argument until we all had enough and I cast a silencing charm so the rest of us didn't have to hear them. Once it looked like they had stopped, I lifted the charm grinning.

"So what makes you think I'd name one of my children after you guys?" Rose asked, stifling a yawn and standing up. "I'm off to bed now, see you in the morning guys." Sirius reached up to kiss her before calling night. I followed, untangling myself from Remus and going up. A few minutes later, Lily and Mary appeared and we all fell asleep quickly.

The next few days passed without incident. Friday came around and I was once more on edge. Tomorrow was the day of our second quidditch match against Ravenclaw. I was terrified about what would happen to me after last time; if the same thing happened again I knew I wouldn't come back a third time. Not even I had that much luck.

Saturday morning, I woke up early to Rose running to be sick. I followed her and held her hair out of her way. "Wish I was playing with you later," she said once she had finished. I looked at her smiling and shook my head.

"Really? I'm dreading it after last time."

She reached up and hugged me. "You'll be fine, Ca; it's not the Slytherins." I smiled, but I didn't believe her. After the last few months, I didn't really trust other people. Breakfast passed too quickly for my liking and it seemed that in no time at all I was changed and walking onto the pitch.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty-Five – Rose**

**The Woes of Sirius Orion Black**

I sighed as I settled into the stands next to Lily. Mary Jane was playing as the third chaser with Marlene and Emmeline, so it was Remus, Peter, Lily and I sitting in the stands, biting our nails as our other halves all stepped out onto the field. I knew Cara was terrified, but she didn't show it as she mounted her broom and shot off to circle the hoops. The game began, and Mary Jane caught the quaffle, moving with a speed I hadn't known she possessed.

I stared at Sirius as he flew around. As always, he flew and played with a skill and a passion that I rarely saw in him. He played beautifully, beating the bludgers every which way from our team members. The Ravenclaws flew delicately, clearly frightened by what had happened to Cara last game, and we took advantage of that with ease.

We were leading the match 90 to 10 when James spotted the snitch and dived low, neatly beating the Ravenclaw seeker to it and winning the match. I smiled, happy to have won, but I wished I had been part of it.

Instead of heading to James to hug him and cheer like they normally did, all five of our seventh years (I'm including Frank for that) left the two chasers to fly to their other halves. Sirius dove down and kissed me in celebration, and I smiled, laughing. "Hey, gorgeous," he whispered against my lips.

"Well done," I whispered back. "You played brilliantly."

"We would have done better with you up there," he said instantly. "Care to celebrate with me?"

I smirked. "How do you mean, Mr Black?"

"The same way we did last night?" he suggested and I laughed. He said goodbye with a small smile, then dove off to change and put his stuff away. I went down, slowly, to the changing rooms to meet them. Remus, Peter and Lily all joined me. Alice and Frank went off alone, and as the team came out of the changing rooms we embraced our other halves with grins.

"Well done, Ca," I told her and leant over to hug her. "You played brilliantly."

She smiled. "I only wish I could have stopped that one goal…"

I snorted. "Don't get cocky, Miss White. You know you are one of the best keepers this school has ever seen."

She grinned. "I would love to play professionally…" she sighed. "But oh, well. I probably wouldn't get signed anyway."

"We do have careers advice with McGonagall next week," Remus pointed out as he took her hand, leading her up to the party in the common room that was inevitably happening. "You can ask her about it."

The others moved off to join them, but I held Sirius back with a grin. "Hey," I said softly. "Did we say something about celebrating?"

He grinned and swept my feet out from underneath me, picking me up and cradling me in his arms. Then he kissed me passionately, leaving me breathless. "Oh, Miss White, you took the words right out of my mouth."

A couple of hours later, we entered the common room hand in hand. Everyone looked up and rolled their eyes as James exclaimed, "There you are! What have you been doing that lasted this long?"

I blushed bright red as Sirius cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Uh… Well…"

I burst out laughing at the look on James' face as he understood. Then I went over and hugged him tightly, saying, "Prongs, we need a conversation on how babies are made."

He went red. "I know- I mean, I already know how babies are made! I just… You know, Sirius isn't actually the father, don't you?"

I could have hit him. I think Sirius was about to hit him, but Lily stepped in front of him automatically. "James, sometimes you can be the most insensitive pig in the world," she said softly.

He winced. "Sorry…"

I smiled and said simply, "Forget it." Then I looked around the room and asked, "What kind of party is it where there's no music?"

"We were waiting for you," Peter called out from where he was sitting, wrapped up in Mary Jane. "Play for us, Rose!"

"Yeah," everyone agreed. "Play for us, White!"

I gave in gracefully, sitting at the piano with a smile. Then I turned to Sirius and said, "Play with me, Black?"

He nodded and picked up his guitar, and we began to play. We played for a half hour or so before Sirius said, "I don't know anymore songs!" Everyone laughed at him, but they let us go, and I curled up on the sofa with him, tired by our wonderful day.

"You know," I said sleepily. "I think things couldn't get any better. My life is pretty much perfect right now."

He smiled at me, just as sleepy as I was, and whispered, "You've made my life perfect, you know?"

Famous last words.

The Easter holidays were upon us, quite quickly now. The school was gearing up for exams and I was more stressed than I could have believed. At least my morning sickness had stopped, I thought as I showered and changed into some maternity clothes. It was now late April, and I was seven months pregnant. And today, I was going to visit my soon-to-be mother-in-law. And father-in-law. And brother-in-law.

Sirius was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and smiled when he saw me, but his face quickly fell back into the frown it usually wore when he thought about his family. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"They're family," I told him. "And family are important to me."

So he took my hand and led the way to McGonagall's office, where Regulus was waiting for us. I hugged him with a smile and asked how he was. The younger boy just shrugged, uncomfortable, but then smiled.

"I… I just can't believe I'm going to be an uncle!" he exclaimed, and I grinned. "It's just so cool!"

I smiled. "I am glad you're happy, Regulus. I am really, really glad you're happy."

"Shall we get this over with?" Sirius asked, no little dread in his tone. I smiled at my fiancé, and he sighed in return.

"Let's," I agreed, and we went into the office, then flooed straight to the Black Family Home.

Sirius caught me as I spun out of the floo and, after waiting for his brother, led the way up to the parlour, where Mr and Mrs Black awaited us.

"Regulus! My Prince!" Walburga shrieked and hugged him tightly to her. I saw the boy barely withhold a grimace, but he took her hug, sighing with relief as she released him, turning to Sirius and me.

"Sirius," she greeted him, evenly (hey, at least she acknowledged him). "Miss White!" she added, looking shocked. Had Sirius not bothered to mention…? Oh, well. "What are you- I mean, welcome to the Black House, but what, if you will forgive me for asking, are you doing here?"

I smiled. "I hope I am not intruding, Mrs Black. Sirius and I simply wanted to come to his home to announce our engagement."

"Engagement?" Walburga shrieked, staring at my hand in horror. "You are seventeen and you are engaged?"

"Yes," he said evenly. "I am engaged, and I am going to be a Father. I am almost eighteen, you know." He was born on the eighteenth of June, three days before Cara and me.

"You cannot be engaged to that- to that trollop!" she screamed.

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "How dare you!"

"You are a pregnant teenager; excuse me if I don't take you too seriously, dear," she said in a patronising manner. Then she rounded on her son. "You will not marry her! Break it off this instant!"

Sirius seemed to grow taller and more imposing in that moment, and I realised just how tall and broad my fiancé had grown – he was taller than his father by several inches. He looked like a grown man, not a little boy. "No. I love her and she loves me, and we're getting married."

That was when Walburga took out her wand and screamed, "You will not disobey me! _Crucio_!"

We got out of there alive, but only just. As we coughed, clambering out of the fire place, I was holding Sirius up. He was barely conscious as McGonagall jumped up, looking horrified at the state we were in.

"Rose! Sirius! Oh, my!" She lifted her wand and levitated Sirius, hurrying towards the door. I followed her as she yelled, "What in God's name happened?"

I sobbed, helplessly, and said, "Oh, it was his mother." Then I doubled over, clutching my over-large stomach, and whispered, "Crap."

My waters had just broken; I was in labour and my husband-to-be was unconscious after his own mother attacked him. Oh, and I was only seven months pregnant.

"Find Cara," I told McGonagall as she helped me stand. "I'm in labour."


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter Fifty-Six – Cara**

**The Birth**

I sat down at an empty table and pulled out my books. I had an essay to finish for potions and I couldn't concentrate in the common room with the others. I was worried about Rose and Sirius; I was unsure about his parents. They sounded cruel and far from caring.

"Cara, there you are. Rose is in labour; come with me," McGonagall said, appearing suddenly. Instantly, I jumped up and ran to the hospital wing, moving faster than I thought possible. I reached the doors in less than a minute, panting. I pushed them open and ran up to Rose, who was screaming and clutching the bed so tightly that her knuckles were white. I searched the room for Sirius; he wasn't by her side like he should've been. Instead he was passed out on another bed.

"Aguamenti," I said, and a jet of water shot out of my wand, hitting him in the face. He sat up coughing and spluttering. "Rose is in labour. Now get your arse over here. Now is not the time to be passed out," I yelled from Rose's side. She had hold off my hand and was squeezing as if her life depended on it. Sirius came over and she grabbed his hand too. He yelped as she squeezed it. She screamed and bit down on my hand as another contraction hit her. I went to pull my hand away but she growled at me, so I left her biting it.

This carried on for a few hours until Madam Pomfrey (finally!) told her to push. She did as she was told, screaming and biting so hard she drew blood. After a few minutes, Madam Pomfrey placed a small, screaming baby in Sirius' arms. The baby was tiny, barely bigger than the palm of Sirius' hand. The matron moved back as Rose began to push again. After about a minute, he came out. Rose smiled but it only lasted a second. Madam Pomfrey didn't hand him to her and he hadn't made a single sound.

"_Where's my baby_?" Rose screamed. I moved down the bed slowly, only to see a tiny baby lying motionless on the bed in front of me. No, I couldn't be seeing this, he couldn't. How could he be gone before he was even here? I looked up to see Rose's anxious face staring at me. I opened my mouth, trying to find the words to tell her, when an ear splitting scream filled the room. I looked down to see the baby screaming, face scrunched. He was okay; tears filled my eyes as I realised that he was alive. Madam Pomfrey gently wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in Rose's waiting arms.

"My baby, my beautiful baby boy. My little William. Now should we see your Daddy and sister?" Rose breathed, tears pouring down her face as she kissed little William. Sirius moved down and placed the gorgeous baby into Rose's other arm. "Hello, Elizabeth," she said, smiling at her to children. "William Sirius Black, Elizabeth Cara Black, you are the most beautiful babies in the entire world."

"They are, but as much as I would like to sit and enjoy this moment I need to lie down before I pass out again," Sirius said, standing up slowly. He had barely made three steps when he passed out; I rushed over, catching him before his head hit the floor. I placed him on the bed and turned to Rose.

"They're perfect, Rosie, absolutely perfect. Mum and Dad would be proud if they were here now. Naming the twins after them was really sweet," I said, softly. She smiled at me and handed over little William. I held the sleeping baby gently, smiling and kissing his tiny head. I held him for a few minutes before placing him in one of the two cribs the matron had produced. He let out a breath and I turned back to Rose. Wordlessly, she handed Elizabeth to me; I held her, rocking her to sleep. I placed her in the other crib and looked over to Rose. She had fallen asleep and was snoring gently. I smiled at her, had one last look at my beautiful niece and nephew, before quietly leaving the hospital wing.

I ran up to Gryffindor tower, eager to get to the others. I tore through the school until I was in the common room. I rushed to where my friends were sat. "ROSEHASHADTHEBABIES!" I screamed, so fast the words merged together. The others shot me confused looks so I tried again but the words continued to merge in my excitement.

Remus came over and held my face, looking into my eyes he calmly said, "Take a deep breath, calm down and try again."

So I did. "ROSE HAD THE TWINS!" This time, they understood and all began shouting, screaming and squealing in excitement. Together, we all headed back to the hospital wing to see them. When we got in there, the first thing we saw was Sirius' unconscious form; he had moved since I left and was now lying on his side snoring loudly.

"Oi! Padfoot! You named one of them after me, yet?" James yelled loudly, causing the twins to start screaming, waking both Rose and Sirius.

"James Potter, if I were you I'd run before I find my wand. You just made my babies cry; they are less than an hour old and you've already made them cry. When I get my wand I'm going to castrate you, then I'm going to do us all a favour and shrink your obnoxiously large head," Rose whispered angrily as she picked up the twins, rocking them gently.

James looked scared; well, she did sound pretty serious. She glared at him before continuing, "For the record, I would never name a child after such an insensitive prat. They are called William Sirius and Elizabeth Cara Black, not James, now will you shut up? They've just got back off and Sirius needs to sleep after earlier."

Before anyone could say anything, I asked the question that had been bugging me since I had reached the hospital wing when Rose was in labour. "Why was Sirius unconscious when I got here?"

Rose looked down, "It was my fault. His mum called me a trollop so he started a fight with her and he got hurt."

"She called you a what? How bloody dare she? When I get my hands on her…" I trailed off, thinking of all the ways I could hurt her. I stared towards the door – I was going to make sure she knew just how bad an idea it was to call my sister a bloody trollop.

"Don't do anything stupid," Rose called as I left, but she didn't have the energy to fight me. I wouldn't have listened even if she did fight me; I carried on walking before anyone else tried to stop me.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter Fifty-Seven – Rose**

**Planning for the Future**

I sat up gingerly as Cara left, exhausted from – well, from giving birth. I stared at my babies for a long moment, ignoring the gathered forms of five marauders, then went over to my husband. Sirius sat up and pulled me down on the bed next to him, kissing me softly before saying, "Well done, my love."

I smiled at him, then turned to look at the sleeping babies. I had the sudden urge to protect them, and looked back at Sirius; I knew he felt the same way.

"Guys," I said softly. "I want you all to know who we picked for Godparents."

Everyone looked up, excited. I smiled softly. "Lily, James and Peter; we want you guys to be godparents for William. Mary, Remus and Cara – when she gets back, that is – we want you to be Elizabeth's godparents. Will you?"

Silence reigned for a moment, then Lily squealed (quietly, as she didn't want to incur my wrath again), squeaking, "Yes, yes, of course!"

I smiled as everyone hugged us, excited, and then I rested my head against Sirius. "Are you okay?" I asked him, softly, as Lily picked up baby Will, and Mary Jane picked up little Liz. He kissed my forehead.

"As long as I have you, and our babies, I will be fine," he told me softly. "Everything is perfect right now."

Then Lizzie started to cry, so I took her from Mary with a small smile. "She needs feeding," I explained to their worried faces. "I haven't fed either of them yet."

Madam Pomfrey bustled in and smiled as she heard me say that. "Yes, yes, quite right. Do you know how? Do you need some help?"

I smiled and shook my head as James muttered something under his breath. I didn't quite hear him, but Sirius groaned and said, "Moony, hit Prongs for me; I can't be arsed to get up right now."

Remus complied, smacking James over the head. He grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes back at my favourite brother. Then I slipped my top off and lifted Lizzie to my breast. She took to feeding quickly, and I laughed at the strange feeling.

Sirius sat next to me, and asked, "What? What is it?"

"It tickles," I explained with a soft smile. It was painful, but now so bad. It was a good kind of feeling… like I was giving life. I liked it. He wrapped his arm around me and I leant against him.

Perfect.

Cara came back an hour later, grinning widely and wiping blood from her mouth. I stared at her for a moment, and whispered, "I'm not even going to ask."

She grinned wider.

Sirius was asleep on one of the beds. The twins were in their little cots, fast asleep just like their Daddy. I'd just gotten out of the shower and dressed. I had been tired, but I didn't want to sleep; I just wanted to watch my babies. Lily had fetched her camera and taken a load of pictures of the twins, sleeping and awake, in their cots and in our arms. I would have a beautiful one of Sirius and me holding them together. I looked forward to it.

I sighed and took my sister by the hand, leading her to a bed and sitting her down. I picked up my wand and waved it at her face, not bothering to say the incantation out loud as I healed her. She hugged me tightly.

"I know you didn't ask, so I won't tell you the details, but let's just say she won't be calling you a trollop again. Oh, and I got Regulus out of there; he's getting cleaned up and then is going to come and meet his niece and nephew."

I smiled back. "Is he okay?"

"A little messed up and upset," she said, shrugging, "But otherwise unharmed."

Just then, the Hospital Wing's doors opened and Regulus poked his head in. I smiled and waved him in. I knew the boy was in training to be a Death Eater, but I still hoped he would join our side. He could do so much good… He was only in fifth year. He didn't need to be evil.

He came in hesitantly, clearly not wanting to wake Sirius or the babies. I stood up and went to hug my little brother. "Are you okay, honey?" I asked him. "I didn't want to leave you there, but…"

He hugged me back, then said, "I'm okay, Rose. They would never hurt their 'little prince'." He sounded a little irritated at that, but I kissed his cheek and laughed softly.

"Do you want to meet your niece and nephew?" I asked, leading him over to the sleeping babies. "This is William Sirius Black, and that is Elizabeth Cara Black. We named them after my parents."

He smiled and bent over, staring at them with wide eyes. "They're incredible. They're beautiful."

I smiled at the young boy as he stared at the twins. "The next one we'll name after you, okay?"

He looked up, shocked. "You would name one after me?"

"Of course," I told him as Sirius asked, "You want more?" I laughed softly and he sat up, looking his brother over with worried eyes. "You okay, Reg?"

Regulus nodded. I said, softly, "Of course I want more. I'm going to have to have babies to supply you with play-mates."

The two boys – and Cara – laughed and they joined us to stare at the sleeping children. Lizzie, as if on cue, woke up and waved her little arms. I looked over at Regulus, and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

He blinked. "Are you- I mean, really?"

I lifted her up and placed her in his arms, adjusting them to support her head. "Of course, Regulus. You are family; you are their Uncle. I want you to be a part of their lives."

Regulus smiled as Will woke up, and Sirius picked his son up with a quick grin. "Who's my beautiful little baby? Who's my darling little boy?"

I smiled at the pair of them and said, softly, "I am so glad you guys are here."

Sirius looked up, smiling wolfishly. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

I sat on the bed after Cara and Regulus had left, holding Lizzie in my arms. Sirius sat beside me, with Will in his. We were close to sleep as the doors opened, and Dumbledore walked in with Carter.

I grinned, almost jumping up but then decided not to. I still ached all over… and they would come to me.

"Professor," I said softly, "Charles."

The two smiled and came over to join us. Sirius sat up, smiling at Dumbledore but shooting a confused look at Carter. "Hey, Professor. And who is this?"

Carter smiled. "I'm an old friend of Rosie's. How are we doing?"

I smiled. "They are incredible, aren't they? My babies. I don't know how I made something so beautiful…"

"I have to say," Dumbledore said softly, "Little Elizabeth is the spitting image of you."

"I am so happy," I told him, tears in my eyes.

"May I hold one?" Carter asked. I passed him Lizzie, then said, "Sir, would you like to hold Will?"

"I would love to," he said, and Sirius passed our son to Professor Dumbledore. "He is a beautiful lad," Dumbledore added. "Congratulations."

"Sir," I said, hesitating. "What are we going to do now? I mean, we can buy a house and find jobs and stuff, but I want to sit my exams."

"So do I," Sirius said. "Okay, not Divination, but the rest."

We laughed. "That can be arranged," Dumbledore said softly. "We can move you into private rooms, where the four of you can stay together, and during the day I am sure that Madam Pomfrey – amongst others – would love to take care of them."

"Really?" I asked. "We only have two months left of school. We can organise a house after that."

He smiled. "I am certain you will do just fine, Miss White. I understand you want to be a healer?" I nodded. "And you, an auror, Mr Black?"

"Yes, sir," Sirius said. "I want to fight Voldemort."

"Very admirable… And have you thought about joining the Order?" he asked me. I grinned.

"Sir, if you will have me, I would love to," I told him. He smiled, glancing at Sirius. "I haven't told the others about it, yet, Sir. But I know that Cara, Sirius, James, Lily, Remus, Mary Jane and Peter all will want to join, too."

He smiled. "Then you shall attend a meeting soon. Now, Mr Carter, we must leave."

They handed the babies back and left, not before telling us where we could locate our new, freshly prepared quarters. We packed up and left, following the instructions. Down the corridor from the Gryffindor common room, we stopped in front of a portrait of the four founders, sitting around a table, playing a game of what looked like cards. Helga Hufflepuff shot me a jaunty wink.

"Fanged Geraniums," Sirius said, and we climbed inside. It was dark, but very quickly a large amount of candles came on and our friends jumped out, calling, "SURPRISE!"

We laughed. All of the marauders were here, along with Regulus, Frank, Alice, Marlene and Emmeline, along with a few others we knew. It was going to be a good party.


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter Fifty-Eight – Cara**

**The Party**

The party was in full swing. We had snuck down to the kitchens to get the food and drink, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Rose was smiling broadly, but she looked exhausted. The twins were happy, being cuddled by everyone (I had held Lizzie a few times and I was still holding Will). There was music playing quietly and everyone was sitting around cooing at the twins. Lizzie started to cry in Peter's arms; instantly, Rose rushed over, giving her a hug and kissing her head.

Sirius came over to me and took Will from me with a mischievous grin. I gave him a sharp look, making him laugh. Something was up; everyone kept giving me sidelong looks and it was making me feel self-conscious. I glared every time they did – what they know? There was something going on. I stomped over to the sofa and sat, crossing my arms moodily. They were keeping something from me and I wanted to know what it was. I gave Remus a sharp look, expecting him to tell me, but he just turned away and whispered to James. I glared as they all whispered, smiling as I glowered at the group in the middle of the room.

James moved to the side, turning off the music as he did; the others moved to the sides leaving Remus alone in the centre of the room. He was down on one knee, a small, black, velvet box open in his hands. I leaned closer, hardly believing what was happening. Could… could Remus really be doing this? Could he really be trusting me? He's always been so frightened of committing…

"Cara Marie White, will you marry me?" Remus asked. I stood, staring at him as he pulled out the ring; it was a small sliver ring with three twisted bands holding an amethyst. It was beautiful, completely perfect. He'd remembered that I preferred silver to gold, that I didn't like diamonds but loved amethyst. It was so utterly perfect; I stared at him tears escaping. I flung myself towards him, beaming at him.

"Yes, yes, oh God, of course! I would be honoured to marry you. Remus John Lupin, I love you more than words can say," I said, kissing him passionately, before turning to the others "I'm getting married!" I yelled at them, excited. Rose gave me a look making me blush; I'd completely forgotten that the twins were still here. The others just smiled at me; this was the secret they'd all been keeping.

Rose hurried forwards and embraced me, grinning. "Congratulations, Cara!" She smiled at me and whispered in a quiet voice, "It's so good to see the two of you trusting for once."

James had his arm wrapped around Remus, and Sirius and Peter joined them. We stared at the four marauders, and I finally understood why they were so famed for their closeness around school. The four boys – no, _men_ – stood close, touching, and they seemed to converse with their eyes. My fiancé was flushed with happiness, as was the new father and the other two. The four smiled and then they hit out at each other, grinning wildly.

Rose stepped forwards, breaking the four's huddle, and she threw her arms around Remus, saying, "I'm so proud of you! And I'm so pissed off you didn't tell me!"

The two almost-siblings broke out into identical grins and she hugged him tightly, before stepping back into her fiancé's arms.

"Right, guys, as much as we love this party, you need to go now. The twins are almost asleep and it's getting late. We'll see you tomorrow, sorry," Sirius said, grinning at me before adding, "Besides, the lovebirds probably want to get a room."

Remus glared "Actually, we don't. Cara and I want to wait until after we get married." I smiled; I had told him that ages ago... It was starting to seem like every word I ever said would be remembered by him. I wasn't quite certain if that was going to stay the same, though… I may have to work on changing his mind. Grinning widely at the look of horror on Sirius' face (clearly celibacy wasn't his thing), we said goodnight and headed for the common room.

The next few weeks passed quickly. Rose and Sirius were finding that parenthood suited them well. The twins were ever so sweet and Rose was already planning the Christening. Lily and I had decided to go out this weekend to get them christening gifts.

Saturday rolled around and we prepared to leave. We had permission from Dumbledore to go to Diagon Alley. Last night we had chosen what to get; we would get bracelets for each of them, James and Remus would get them both necklaces and Mary Jane and Peter would get them both silver spoons. We headed to McGonagall's office to floo over to the Leaky Cauldron. We had a quick drink in the pub, before heading to the Jewellers. I selected a simple silver bracelet and I asked for it to be engraved. _'I promise to help you, to lead you, to encourage you, to care for you, to love you._' Lily smiled at my choice of words. She chose a similar bracelet for Will. She had the words, '_I will always be here to love you and help guide your way'_. The bracelets were charmed to grow with the twins, so they would always have a reminder of our love.

Back at school, the twins were sleeping in their cribs and Rose was asleep on the sofa, snoring gently. The last few weeks had been exhausting for her. She had looked after the twins, planned the Christening and (somehow) kept on top of all her classes. It was a miracle she was able to do it all, even with everyone helping.

We left her sleeping and went to find the boys. They had gone into Hogsmeade with Mary Jane to get their gifts. We found them in the common room and went over. James and Remus pulled us over, waving bags about. Remus had got a twisted-silver cross for Lizzie and James had got a plain-silver cross for Will. Mary showed me the spoons Peter and she had got them. They were really pretty, silver with their names engraved on them.

Everything would be perfect.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter Fifty-Nine – Rose**

**Plans for a Christening and a Wedding**

I woke up a little after midday, seeing Cara and Lily leave the room. Automatically, I checked that the twins were still sleeping – which (thankfully) they were. I loved them so much, and I was incredibly happy to have them, but I was simply exhausted. It had been almost a month since they were born, but every day I was simply struggling to get through it.

I stood up, running my hand through my hair as I moved over to their cots to check on them. I marvelled at how much they had grown in such a short time, then smiled as I felt Sirius' hands slip around my waist, pulling me back into his arms. He kissed my neck softly, letting his lips slip down further towards the top of my shirt. I smiled, ruefully; as much as I wanted to, we couldn't with the babies around.

With a small sigh, I moved out of his arms. "Sirius," I said, warning him. "Not with the twins around."

He sighed, but grinned, also rueful. "Fair enough. We'll have to get someone to babysit… maybe Remus and Cara since they aren't getting any."

I laughed, strangely delighted at my fiancé's humour. I smacked him lightly on the chest, then leant against him with a sigh. "Mm," I agreed as he kissed my neck again. "That does sound nice… But now we have planning to do."

We took a seat at one of the tables together, and Sirius sighed as he grabbed the pile of paperwork we had been doing. I sighed, too, but my sigh was amused at my husband-to-be's clear irritation. "Soon," I told him. "I'll ask Cara to babysit tonight."

He grinned, perking up, and I laughed quietly.

"I want to set a date," I told him softly. "For the wedding. I want it to be soon."

"Me too," Sirius agreed, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"I want it to be this summer," I told him, hesitantly. "I mean, I understand if you don't want it to be that soon – I mean, we'll only be eighteen next month – but I want it to be before you go off into auror training and I'm in Healer training. I want the world to know that I'm your wife, and you're my husband."

He smiled. "I can't wait for the world to know that you are all mine." I grinned back and we kissed. "So, what about the 9th August?"

I grinned. "I think that's perfect."

We settled down to planning the wedding, and the Christening, and I knew that my fiancé would always help me with this – even though he absolutely hated all of it.

After a couple of hours (okay, about five), I called us to a break. The twins woke up, so I fed them and changed them, and Sirius helped me bathe them, before Cara and Remus showed up, smiling at the two of us.

"Hey, Ca," I said, putting Lizzie down to hug my sister. "Hey, Moony. You're here again."

"We thought we might give the two of you a night off," Remus said, hugging his brother with a small smile. "I know how desperate Padfoot has been to get you alone."

I laughed, shooting the man in question an amused look, and simply said, "Thank you. I just want to grab a shower, and then we can go off and get something to eat, if you want."

Sirius smiled and said, "Whatever you want, my love."

"You are such a sap," I told him, grinning as I pecked him lightly on the lips.

"Go and get clean so I can have you all to myself," he answered, drawing me back for a deeper kiss. I smiled.

I jumped away and hurried to the shower. When I came back, my hair freshly washed, with fresh clothes (that finally fit again after the babies!) on and make-up perfected, Sirius took my hand and led me away, barely giving me the time to say goodbye to the twins before we were gone. I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm, and let him take me down to the Great Hall, where everyone jumped up to greet us.

We hadn't been down here since the babies were born, taking our meals in our quarters. To be honest, the only time I had left our quarters was to attend classes or drop off and pick up the twins. Poppy Pomfrey, who was very young but childless, loved Will and Lizzie and was very excited to care for them.

We took our seats next to James, Lily, Peter and Mary Jane, and started eating fervently. It was a whole different feeling, I decided, eating with your friends in the Great Hall. It was like being a child again.

"Come on," Sirius said. "We have another stop to make."

"You planned this," I accused him, laughing.

He gave me an overly innocent look. "Would I?" he asked, pretending to be wounded.

"Yes," every one of our friends said at once. I just laughed at him, but took his hand and let him lead me from the hall, down to the Forbidden Forest.

"I thought we could go for a moonlight run," he suggested, almost shyly. "And then – well, I kind of set something up. I had to get the others to help, but… I hope you like it."

We transformed together and ran into the forest. He led me through the darkest parts, then into a clearing, where we stopped.

The clearing was lit by enchanted candles (so that we wouldn't set the forest on fire), floating around. In the centre, Sirius – or whoever had set this up – had set up a blanket and a load of pillows, with a bottle of what looked like Rosmerta's Finest Oak Matured Mead, and two glasses.

I transformed and stepped forwards, a smile spreading across my face as I turned to look at my fiancé. He smiled a little sheepishly. "We never really got to go on a prepared date. I never asked you on one. I kind of told you I loved you, then you were married and in trouble and pregnant… And now, before we're married, I'd like to do something…"

"Romantic," I finished. Then I stepped forwards and pressed my lips to his. He sighed and let his mouth open, then slipped his tongue into my mouth. We kissed for several long minutes before we had to come up for air. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, softly. I nodded, flushed, and let him lead me to the blankets and sat down.

We drank slowly, staring at each other for a long time, before I placed my drink down and moved forwards, kissing him slowly for a long moment. He moved forwards too, pushing me back onto the pillows with a soft moan.

"I have missed you," he told me as he kissed down my neck, undoing my shirt. I smiled and arched my back, allowing him more access.

"Yeah," I agreed softly as I pulled him back to my lips. "I've missed you too."

He grinned and went back to his task.

The next morning, after looking after the babies, looking after ourselves and dropping the kids off with James and Lily (who were looking after them as it was a Sunday), Sirius and I met up with Remus and Cara and left Hogwarts, to finish our preparations.

We had several stops to do today. First off, we met Dumbledore and the Reverend at the church in Hogsmeade, and went through the final preparations for the following week's christening. After we arranged everything, we bid goodbye to Dumbledore and went to London.

We were visiting the house we were preparing to buy. Sirius and I wanted a family home, as did Remus and Cara. I didn't want to be parted from my twin sister – ever – so we had agreed to buy a house together or to buy two houses next door to each other. Peter and Mary were going to be living above the shop we bought for Mary for Christmas, and Lily and James were moving to Godric's Hollow. We had considered buying a house near them, but we hadn't found anything suitable, and as we were going to be working in London…

The house we saw first was lovely, but it wasn't what we were looking for. The second place we went was actually two houses, linked together, with shared grounds. The house Sirius and I wanted was perfect – it had five bedrooms (I know! Five – that is a _lot_); a lovely kitchen; a shared study that would be perfect for us to work in; a living room; and various other accoutrements that we wanted.

Likewise, Cara and Remus loved the house, and on the spot we decided. Cara and I simply had to exchange looks to know we wanted it, and then we looked at our fiancés, who simply smiled at us, shot wry glances at each other (which seemed to say 'looks like we're living together for a little longer') and then Sirius turned to the estate agent and asked, "How much?"

We put the bid in and Cara and Remus left. Sirius and I had one more stop to make.

We arrived in the village where I had grown up, and made our way to the church that I had first been married in. It had been a lifetime of bad memories, but here was where I wanted to start my new life. It was a magical village (mostly) and the church was run by a wizard. I went inside and smiled at the vicar, who looked shocked to see me.

"Mrs Riddle!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. I cut him off with an apologetic smile.

"No, Father. Miss White, soon to be Mrs Black," I corrected him. The colour drained from his face, he looked shocked and, glancing between us, managed to croak, "How?"

"My sister found a piece of old magic and saved me from the marriage," I explained with a soft smile. "She very nearly died to do it."

"You very nearly died," Sirius pointed out. I smiled but ignored him.

"We wish to get married, sir, on the 9th August, and I was wondering if we could do it here? You see, you were the vicar who brought me up and this was my first church. Will you marry us?"

The reverent smiled, glancing between the two of us. "Child, I would be honoured."


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter Sixty – Cara**

**The Christening**

The day before the christening, Rose was sat, rocking Lizzie off to sleep while completing a Herbology essay. She was surrounded by rolls of parchment and baby things. She had nearly finished planning the wedding, which was to be on the 9th of August, and was still doing her work. Our NEWTs were about three weeks away and then we had a week or so left of school. I walked into the room, taking Lizzie from her; she needed a break. Will was sleeping in his crib; I rocked Lizzie, singing her lullabies. Rose shot me a grateful smile and sat down to work on her essay. I looked at the bags under her eyes; she was a fantastic mum but she needed more sleep. I put a now sleeping Lizzie down, pulled away Rose's essay and pushed her towards the bedroom.

"Ca, I have to finish that," she protested as I continued pushing her into the room.

"It will still be there when you wake up. I'll watch the twins and you can sleep." I left no room for argument and she gave in.

I went back into the living room to watch the twins; they were still fast asleep and when I check on Rose five minutes later, so was she. I sat down and pulled wedding plans from my bag. The date was set for September 17th; right before I began my work in Wales with the Common Welsh Greens (I had got a work placement training dragons and I couldn't have been more excited) and Remus began training to teach. I wanted my bouquet to be lilacs, cherry blossoms, freesias and orchids, with lilac bridesmaid dresses. I wanted them to be full length with pleated bust, a waterfall ruffle at the front of its skirt and spaghetti straps. I was still unsure as to what my dress should look like, except that it should be traditional.

"Hey, Ca, where's Rosie?" someone said, interrupting my planning. I looked up, smiling, at Sirius.

"Sleeping; she was exhausted so I put her to bed."

"I keep telling her she's working too hard, but you know what she's like."

"I do, she's as stubborn as me,"

He laughed again. "So what's all this?"

"Wedding plans; I've nearly finished planning it."

He grimaced; wedding plans weren't his thing. "I'll leave you to it then, I have a Charms essay to do."

He sat down and pulled out his work. I carried on planning and soon had the finer details sorted. All I needed now was to find the perfect dress. I thought for a long time, sucking the end of my quill. It took me a few minutes but I finally decided on what I wanted. A simple, strapless, figure-hugging dress, with a small train, sweetheart neckline and crystals in the folds of the tops would be perfect. I squealed excitedly and caused Sirius to give me a strange look but he decided to ignore it.

Will started crying and Sirius got up to see to him before Lizzie woke up. I watch as he cuddled him; Will stopped crying and relaxed in his arms. I smiled, gathering up my parchment; it was getting late and I wanted to see Remus and tell him the wedding plans.

"Cara," Sirius said slowly. I looked up and smiled at him, and he asked, "You do… well, you do think we're doing the right thing, don't you?"

I froze and frowned at him. "What do you mean? Are you having second thoughts?"

"Merlin, no," he muttered, raking his free hand through his hair. Here was the serious side of the boy, which only ever came out when something was troubling him. "I love Rose and want her by my side for the rest of my life… But she's never had that choice. Are we going to fast? I mean, you don't think she only agreed to be with me because of the babies, do you? I don't want to make her miserable… I want her to be happy, and to be able to make her own decisions."

I smiled at my soon-to-be brother-in-law and said, "Sirius, I'm pretty certain that my sister loves you more than anyone else in the world." When he still looked unconvinced, I sighed and said, "Come and sit by me." He came, unwillingly, and sat beside me. I grabbed his hand – just like I used to do whenever Jewell was upset – and said, "Sirius, Rose has chosen, and when she gets her teeth into something she's not about to let go."

He laughed shakily and rubbed his neck in a rueful manner. "Yeah, I know she does."

"Okay, I so did _not_ want to know that," I muttered. "But whatever. The point is, it's you she loves. She's chosen and she wants you. Besides, you don't want to lose the twins, do you?"

He smiled. "They're incredible… I love them. And Rose. God, I love her so much…" Then he smiled again, even wider, and said, "Thanks, Cara. You should go – Remus is probably waiting. Go on, Ca. Thank you."

I smiled back and stood up, shouldering my bag. "Any time, Padfoot, you know that. You are quite welcome."

The next morning, I was up early; it was the day of the christening and I had to get ready. I showered and pulled on a simple, light-blue, knee-length dress with a ribbon around the middle. I wore my long hair down, curls bouncing around my face. I went back to the bedroom where Lily and Mary were sat, waiting for the shower. Half an hour later, we were all ready; Lily had on a beautiful green dress that matched her eyes and Mary was wearing a white dress with a flower print on it.

We headed down to where the boys were sat waiting in dress robes; we hugged them and left to find Rose and Sirius. In their room, Rose was putting Will into his christening gown and Lizzie was in Sirius' arms already dressed. Rose's wore a gorgeous red dress, her hair loose around her face. The twins looked so sweet in their long christening gowns; they were traditional and looked perfect.

We headed down to the church; Dumbledore was already there in bright purple robes, smiling broadly, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

The ceremony was beautiful. Dumbledore stood at the front with Rose on one side, holding Lizzie and Sirius on the other holding Will. Remus, Mary and I stood by Rose while James, Lily and Peter stood by Sirius. Regulus, who had also come, was sat in the front pew. Dumbledore did the official stuff and then said a blessing.

"_May the road rise to meet you,_

_May the wind be always at your back._

_May the sun shine warm upon your face,_

_The rains fall soft upon your fields._

_And until we meet again,_

_May God hold you in the palm of his hand._

_May God be with you and bless you;_

_May you see your children's children._

_May you be poor in misfortune,_

_Rich in blessings,_

_May you know nothing but happiness_

_From this day forward._

_May the road rise to meet you,_

_May the wind be always at your back,_

_May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home_

_And may the hand of a friend always be near._

_May green be the grass you walk on,_

_May blue be the skies above you,_

_May pure be the joys that surround you,_

_May true be the hearts that love you."_

It was beautiful. After that, we all read out our blessings to them. Mine was short but it seemed perfect.

"_As pure as the winter's first snow, you are,_

_A vision of innocence blessed from afar._

_Sent to this earth for us all to love,_

_A cherished, adorable, gift from above._

_A child of the angels and Godchild to me,_

_The dearest of treasures there ever could be!"_

Once we had all read our blessings, Dumbledore officially announced us to be their godparents.

We headed down to the Three Broomsticks when we had finished in the church. The room had been hired out for the day and decorated accordingly. It was beautiful, music played softly and we all hung around talking. A few hours in we all presented the twins with their gifts. Rosie was crying softly, as she had been throughout the ceremony. The rest of the party passed all too soon. We were having fun and everyone seemed care-free and happy. We brought out the cake; it was iced white with the words 'William Sirius Black and Elizabeth Cara Black, 25th April 1978' in pale green. We all smiled and enjoyed the hour before returning to the school to revise for the NEWTs.

Dumbledore escorted us back to the castle, having stayed for the party, and also having told us it was an honour to perform the ceremony. When we reached the castle Lizzie, and Will were screaming wanting to be fed, so Rose and Sirius left hastily. We watched them go as we headed to the tower.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter Sixty-One – Rose**

**NEWTs and Compartment 12 Again**

I stared between my sleeping babies and my Charms revision with a deep sigh. Sirius was with James (who he had finally asked to be best man) planning something that was almost definitely going to be their final prank, or something like that. I didn't know how that boy managed it, but he never seemed to do his homework.

I groaned and stood up, unable to sit still anymore. The exams started the next morning, and it was nearly midnight. I was simply too worried to sleep and, at the same time, too tired to revise. I paced back and forth for a long while, worrying.

Not entirely about my exams, either – I was worried about them, but I knew they would probably end up alright. I'd never got less than an Exceeds Expectations in my life, so I thought I would be fine – well, except in Divination, where I'd never got more than that. No, I was worried about several other, more important, things.

Number one on my worried list: my hen night. Cara was planning it and I really, really, _really_ didn't want whatever she was planning. She hadn't let me see any of it, but I had a terrible feeling that there would be… a stripper.

Number two: Sirius' stag do. I didn't want to worry about that, but I knew that James had a penchant for flying off the trodden path… I simply worried he might go _too_ far. I knew Sirius would love me and be faithful for me forever – while he was sober. When he was so drunk he couldn't remember it, I worried.

Number three: my wedding. The plans were going fine, I supposed. I had my colour scheme (dark blue, dark green and white), and I had the date, the place(s) and even the invitations and the bridesmaid dresses (they were floor-length, a-line, in dark navy, with no sleeves and high waist – they even went with my three bridesmaids' various shades of hair). We had decided on the menu and the decorations and the flowers – I was going with white lilies, white roses, with some green and blue decoration stuff that the florists had liked – and I had (finally) decided on my dress. This time, I got to wear what I wanted.

My dress was stunning, I had to admit. Strapless, in white (even though it shouldn't have been for me), a full skirt and in satin, with diamond embroidery – I love it. But… well, what if something went wrong? This was meant to be the most special day of my life, and I just _knew_ something would go wrong and mess it up – this was me after all.

Number four on my worried list: leaving Hogwarts. We were going in just a few short weeks, and then we would be out in the real world… we had been to our first Order of the Phoenix meeting and, while absolutely brilliant, it was terrifying to finally be an adult, fighting Tom Riddle. But the thing that most worried me was being out on our own, without Madam Pomfrey to turn to when I was worried about the twins. I supposed all parents had to do that, but I just… didn't want to do something wrong. I was looking forward to healer training, and Sirius was looking forward to auror training, but…

I was scared.

The portrait hole opened behind me and I spun around to welcome my fiancé with a small smile. He said nothing, just kissed me with such passion that it took my breath away and took me straight to bed.

The next morning, we readied ourselves and the kids, dropped them off with Madam Pomfrey, managed to choke down some breakfast and then stood outside the Great Hall, staring at the door with worry in our eyes.

Professor Flitwick came out and ushered us in. I stepped in, took my seat and, once the huge hour-glass was turned over, we began our first exam.

The exams passed in a blur of stress and worry, and then they were over. We had a few, short, glorious days free of stress and the ten of us – the marauders and partners, with our babies – spent the days by the lake. The children were two months old and I couldn't believe how much they had grown. I couldn't believe how perfect everything was when it had been such a mess a few months before. I thanked God, Merlin and anyone else every day for the blessing that was my sister – and my friends.

The day before we left Hogwarts dawned and we walked down to the leaving feast (after dropping the kids off) in our robes, all holding hands and halfway excited and halfway miserable.

We took our seats and the food appeared. The house-elves had outdone themselves; the food seemed to taste better than it ever had before. Maybe it wasn't the food, but the fact that it was our last time here. I knew in my heart of hearts that if I ever came back here, it would not be for a good reason. But now I wanted to leave the place I called home with happy memories. I knew it could not have been a better place to me – here was the place I had my first boyfriend; I first fell in love; I first played a proper quidditch match (we won the house cup and the quidditch cup, by the way); I got engaged; I had my children; I found my friends and I learned how to live. It would always be the place that saved my life, and I would cherish the good memories.

When the last plates were cleared, James got to his feet but ordered Lily to stay where she was and walked up to Dumbledore's seat. I glanced at Sirius – was this what they had been planning? – but he just grinned and nodded. I heard what James said as he leant towards the professor, as well, though I doubted anyone who wasn't an animagus (with our awesome hearing) could.

"Could I have a word, professor?" James whispered. "With the school?"

Dumbledore smiled widely and nodded, saying, "My dear boy, please, go ahead."

James spun on his heel and cleared his throat. The whole school turned to stare at him, but instead of shaking under the pressure, James just grinned wider. "Hi guys!" he called out, and everyone greeted him back.

"Alright guys," he started, "You all know me, but I'll introduce myself anyway; my name is James Potter and tonight is my last night at Hogwarts. I know, I know," he said, waving his hands to stop the groans of 'disappointment'. "Yes, I don't doubt that you'll all be destitute without my glorious presence. That's lovely of you, but not why I'm up here. The reason I'm up here is to talk about a girl.

"Yeah, you guys all know her too. There's this girl, in my year, who is also leaving tomorrow. I've been crazy about her for, what, seven years? Yeah, about that. Now, this year, this girl finally agreed to go on a date with me – mostly thanks to another friend of ours, Rose White, who did something extraordinarily stupid and brought us – completely accidentally – together. So, first off, thanks Rose."

I grinned and waved at him as he bowed at me in mock appreciation. I rolled my eyes and Lily smiled at me, bright red from blushing.

"Now," James said, as the hall quieted again. "This girl, this beautiful, kind, loving, caring girl, has agreed to be my girlfriend and has dated me for about ten months now. Now, let me tell you, you can live a life time in ten months. Excuse me, because I'm about to get – well, sappy. Ten months ago, I was still recovering from the death of my parents. This girl brought me back from a brink I didn't even know I was on – she healed me." James stopped and surveyed the hall with a sad smile. "This girl kept me alive, and now I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Then Sirius and Remus dragged Lily out of her seat and pushed her into the aisle between our seats, before snickering behind their hands at her blush and sitting back down with us.

James, meanwhile, had pulled out a small, velvet, black box and had got down on one knee. The entire school seemed to hold its breath as he said, "Lily Evans, I love you. Will you marry me?"

We waited with baited breath as Lily, still bright red, stared at her boyfriend. For a long moment, the girl said nothing, before saying, loudly, "James Potter, you're an idiot. And a git. And a gigantic prat."

No one knew what to say – everyone thought that the romantic proposal had been shot down – but James grinned. "I know. But that's not an answer."

"Of course I will!" she said with a wide grin, then they threw their arms around each other and kissed, passionately. He opened the box – revealing an emerald, the same colour as her eyes, set in white gold and diamonds – and placed the ring on her finger.

Then the rest of the marauders jumped up and hugged the pair. James was ecstatic, grinning as his brothers and sisters congratulated him. Lily was glowing, barely able to string words together, but she managed enough to ask me, "Rose, will you be my maid of honour?"

"I would be honoured to, my sister," I told her as I hugged her tightly.

The next morning, we set out for the train without any trace of sorrow. We knew we weren't saying goodbye to anything, not really; we were all still together, still brothers and sisters. We weren't leaving anyone behind.

We got into our compartment, number 12 – the one that brought us here in the first place – and I sat in Sirius' arms. The babies were with us, of course, but they were barely awake. I smiled and relaxed as we all just welcomed being together.

Then, a few minutes into the journey, Peter coughed nervously and we all turned to watch the young man as he stood up. Then he pulled a box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee in front of Mary Jane, who sat up, blinking back sudden tears.

"Mary," he said quietly. "I'm not going to make a big speech like James; you know I'm not like that and I doubt you'd like it if I was. But I want you to know that I love you. You stood by me when I went wrong and brought me back to light when I went dark. So, what I want to say is, will you marry me?"

Mary smiled, tears flowing down her cheeks now unchecked, and kissed him, whispering, "Yes. It would be an honour, Peter Pettigrew."

He opened the box and revealed a sapphire ring, made out of gold, and placed it on her finger with obvious love. Then he kissed her hand, and we all jumped up to hug the new happy couple.

"Cara," Mary said as they hugged. "Be my maid of honour?"

"You know I will," my sister agreed with a vibrant grin and hugged her even tighter. Everyone was laughing as we sat back in our four couples. I lifted Lizzie as she began to cry, and Sirius lifted Will. The others watched us, smiling fondly.

"I never thought I would see the day," James said with a wondering smile. "Sirius Black all grown up, with responsibilities."

Sirius laughed and said, "Prongs, I'll never grow up."

"I can attest to that," I agreed with a wry smile.

"Padfoot," James said more seriously. "Will you be my best man?"

Sirius smiled. "You know I will, Jamie. I would be honoured to."

Remus smiled and added, "I can't decide who I want as mine."

Peter paled. "I haven't even thought about it… but, I suppose, as you guys are all like that… Remus?"

Remus shot the blonde man a huge grin and said, "Pete, I would be honoured."

Everyone laughed and smiled for the whole journey. The twins were angels, and by the time we arrived at Platform 9 ¾ I was happy – completely and utterly happy.

After we had disembarked, we all stood together, watching each other with small, sad smiles. "We'll see you at ours on Friday, right?" I found myself asking. "I don't want- I mean, I can't wait to see you all."

They all agreed, we all hugged one last time, then Sirius took my hand and led me away.

I glanced back, one last time, as we passed through the wall. _Thank you_, I thought to the platform, the train, the school. _Thank you for everything_.

Then we stepped forwards to begin out new lives together.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter Sixty-Two – Cara**

**The Hen Party**

The last month had passed quickly; we had settled into the new house – for the minute, Remus and I were in a room at Sirius and Rose's, not wanting to be separated just yet – and the twins had grown rapidly. It was only a few days until Rose's wedding and we had been awash with wedding plans, what with all of us getting married. I had also been planning Rose's Hen Do. I had got everything ready and, despite Rose's best efforts, the whole thing was still a secret. I had originally wanted us to spend the whole day out but, because of the twins, we were confined to the night only. I had owled Madam Pomfrey, who had agreed to look after the twins for the night. Everything was in place; all I had to do was get Rose out tomorrow. James and Remus had spent several hours planning the Stag Do, which, from the snippets I'd heard, sounded interesting (to say the least). I looked up at the clock as it chimed – it was eleven. I stood up, looking around the empty room (everyone else was already asleep) and headed up to bed. I wanted to be well rested for tomorrow night.

The next morning, I was up before anyone else. I washed and dressed, making sure I looked casual so that Rose wouldn't think anything was up. She had put down some ground rules: no strippers, no excessive alcohol and no going abroad. Unfortunately for her, I had broken all three ground rules. I headed to the kitchen, planning on making pancakes for breakfast.

By the time I had made them, the others were up and had come down at the smell of them cooking. I smiled as Remus snuck up behind me, kissing my neck. Sirius and Rose came down, carrying the twins. Sirius grinned. "Oh my God, you made pancakes!"

"What do you think?" I said, grinning back.

"That I love you for this and I'm marrying the wrong twin."

"I never said they were for you." He pouted at me as I gave Remus and Rose plates. I laughed, handing him his own plate before tucking into mine.

The day passed quickly. Lily and Mary came over a little after lunch and we spent the afternoon having a pampering session. We were nearly ready to go when the boys appeared to drag Sirius away; ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey arrived and we left. Rose was under the ludicrous idea that we were going out for dinner and to the theatre, when in actual fact we would be going for dinner, then heading on to a local bar, before going a little further away. We were all dressed respectfully, but we had more appropriate attire ready. The wings, wands, crown, and sash were ready and waiting, along with her stripper and a private beach with a large stash of alcohol.

Dinner was fun; the food was excellent and the company was superb.

Once that was done, we went outside to apparate. Rose was still under the impression we were going to the theatre, or at least she was, until we appeared in some club toilets.

I grinned as Lily shoved a bag in her hands and Mary pushed her into a cubicle. "You have to get changed into that; we're going to change too. Before you ask, you have no choice in this, but it would be nice to do it the easy way," I called, going into the next cubicle to change. Five minutes later, we were stood putting the finishing touches to our makeup – except Rose, who was staring in the mirror at what we had done. Her makeup was perfect, bright, colourful but not too much. She wore a tiny green tutu, a low cut pink top, pink stilettos and rainbow fairy wings, with a silver wand like the rest of us, but she also wore a crown and a bride-to-be sash. It was perfect; we had our hair straightened and nails painted a luminous pink.

We headed into the club, where music was pounding. At the bar, we ordered some cocktails and went in search of Alice, Marlene and Emmeline, who would be joining us. We found them in a quiet corner, drinks in hand. Rose smiled at them and started to relax.

We stayed in the club for a few drinks, before grabbing Rose and apparating to an island in the middle of the Caribbean. There was a large fire roaring, music playing and a homemade bar with a topless bartender. I grinned at Rose's shocked face.

We went to get drinks, and started dancing to the music. We spent several hours drinking, dancing and generally having fun. At about midnight a load crack made us all turn around, even though most of us knew what it was. Standing there was Dumbledore. Rose looked gobsmacked and began backing away. I grinned; her reaction was even better than I had expected, especially when he moved to start stripping. She looked absolutely terrified at this, until he started to change appearance as the polyjuice potion wore off, revealing Fabian Prewett, who had been in the year above us at Hogwarts and was extremely good looking – and was in the Order.

Rose laughed at this and he began to strip for her. It was so entertaining; he was transfiguring his clothes into flowers, chocolates and a few things that made Rosie blush. When he was finally done, he came over to Rosie, but she pushed him away telling him it was too much, but she did let him put his arm around her waist. I grinned; her last night of freedom had been well spent. We apparated home and headed to bed. I reached mine and Remus' room and collapsed beside the already sleeping Remus. He was topless with writing covering him and I briefly wondered what they had done to Sirius if he was like this, before crashing down, fully clothed, and sleeping.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter Sixty-Three – Rose**

**The First Wedding**

As sunlight hit my pillow, I found myself groaning and rolling over, trying to hide from the hell-like pain that thumped through my head. I swallowed back the sickness that rose up from moving and groaned some more. My mouth was dry and tasted fuzzy, my head felt like someone was hammering it, and my stomach was rolling.

Fucking hangovers.

"Rose," I heard Cara sing at the door, "It's time to get up!" How could she possibly be that- that _chirpy_ in the morning? Especially _this_ morning! I didn't move, and she sighed. "Rose, it's your wedding day."

I sat bolt upright in bed and struggled not to throw up. "Shit…"

She grinned and handed me a bright green potion, with laughter in her eyes. "Here, you might want to try this; it's a hangover cure."

I took it and swallowed it in one. Instantly, my stomach settled and the hammering pain left my mind. I was still thirsty, but that was easy to deal with. I stared at her for a long minute, then said gratefully, "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

She smiled. "Yes. Every day. Now get up, lazy bones, and let's get some food in you, before we start getting ready."

I grimaced, but sat up and pulled on my robe, over the green tutu and pink top from last night. Sighing, I said, "You know what? I'll meet you downstairs in a minute."

She left, and I changed quickly. Then I went to the bathroom, used the facilities, raked a brush through my hair and brushed my teeth (trying to get the taste out of my mouth), before hurrying downstairs to see Cara serving me a fresh fruit salad. I grinned.

"I love you," I told her as I sat down and started eating. Smiling, she poured me some fresh coffee, then sat down, drinking a cup of tea and eating her own breakfast.

Once I was finished, my brain kicked into gear. First things first: "Where are the twins?"

Cara smiled. "You will see them at the wedding."

I glared at her, but let it go. I knew she would have them safe and sound somewhere, and she was never going to let me see them if I hassled her. "Okay, we have a lot to do today," I said instead. "Other than getting ready, we need to sort out-"

She interrupted me and smiled softly. "Rose, have faith. Everything is sorted out. You just need to turn up on time – four o'clock at the church. You know what this means?" I stared at her mutely. "A day of pampering!"

I rolled my eyes as the door opened from the garden and Lily and Mary Jane came in, closely followed by Peter and James.

"Where's Remus?" James asked, looking worried. Cara grimaced.

"He's still passed out upstairs," she supplied.

I shot them worried looks and asked, "Where's Sirius?"

Peter smiled, but it seemed false. "You know you aren't allowed to see him on your wedding day, Rose," he said, but I could feel the worry in the air.

"Guys," I said patiently, "Where the hell is my fiancé? What have you done with him?"

James smiled smoothly. "Sirius will see you at the altar at four o'clock, Miss White. Please don't worry; I have everything under control."

Then he and Peter disappeared upstairs, to drag Remus out of bed and get out of there. I swallowed, glancing at the other girls. "That's what I'm afraid of," I called after his retreating back, and got a laugh out of him.

"Come on," Cara said, taking control of the situation. "You got me ready for my first date; now, let me get you ready for your wedding."

I gave in, and she led me upstairs, my two best friends following.

At three forty-five p.m., I stood in front of the mirror at my London home, which I shared with my fiancé, my two children and my sister and her fiancé. I had spent eight hours being made ready for this moment, and staring at my reflection I wondered absently who the hell was standing in the mirror.

My brown curls had been accentuated, with half of my hair up, and the other half hanging around my face in ringlets. The make-up that Lily had spent a painstaking hour doing was perfect; it made me look flawless, and the artful way she had understated the tones – to make me look 'natural' – brought out the colour in my eyes and skin. The dress…

Was incredible. It clung to the upper half of my body, accentuating my curves, and the skirt floated around me. The satin was a beautiful pure white, and the embroidery was simple but stunning. I smiled at my reflection as Lily moved forwards.

"Something old," she said, handing me a bracelet. "It was my mother's on her wedding day. It's borrowed, too." The bracelet was silver, engraved with the words 'Love is the light that guides us' and decorated with roses and lilies. I knew no one else would read them, but I loved it. It meant an incredible amount to me that Lily would lend me this.

"Thank you," I whispered to her, softly.

Mary Jane moved forwards next, placing a silver clip into the back of my hair after showing it to me. It, too, was decorated with roses, and it shined in my hair. "Something new," she said. "We wanted you to have something special."

"Thank you," I told her, too. Tears threatened me, but I pushed them back (well, practise makes perfect).

Then my sister stepped forwards and held out a garter with a cheeky grin – it was blue – and I laughed at her. "Something blue," she said, her eyes glowing with laughter. "Sirius can take it off you later."

I laughed aloud, and said, "You are dreadful, Cara White!"

She knelt down quickly, and helped me hook it in place. As she readjusted my skirt and stood up, I pulled her into a hug. The three girls looked beautiful in their blue bridesmaid dresses, and I knew this day would be perfect. Cara adjusted my veil, then said, "Let's go, Rosie."

We apparated to the church, landing inside a special chamber that had been prepared for us. I knew that in the other room were all the people I ever loved; while I wanted a small-ish wedding, we had invited the entire Order of the Phoenix, all of our teachers, Alice and Frank, and Emmeline and Marlene – and Regulus. I knew, also, that Sirius would be waiting for me at the altar, wearing a black suit with a white rose on it, and a serious expression. I knew that James, Remus and Peter would be surrounding him, cracking jokes (James, mainly) and trying to reassure him (probably Remus). I knew that he would hear our loud 'crack' as we apparated in, and the relief would flow through him. He would smile for the first time since reaching the church.

I knew Remus and Peter would then move back and pick up my children, who would be dressed (on Cara's insistence) in a suit (my poor Will) and a flowing blue dress, almost a miniature of my bridesmaids'.

Then the door swung open, and Charles Carter walked in, wearing a suit. In the absence of my actual father, I had asked him to walk me down the aisle. He had agreed, and now was here to fulfil that promise.

"Carter," I said softly. He hugged me and then took my arm as I heard the traditional music start up.

"You look beautiful," he told me, as Mary Jane moved out of the doors and began her walk towards the altar. Lily followed her, then Cara (with one last wink in my direction) and then it was our turn.

Carter opened the door and guided me outwards. We turned the corner and began the slow process of walking up the aisle. I looked up, searching for my fiancé, and our eyes met. He was standing there, James beside him and the vicar on the other side, with worried eyes. The minute we saw each other, the worry melted away, replaced with a small, knowing smile.

I smiled back, knowing that the knowledge in his expression was the warm knowledge that filled me – that we were loved.

Carter and I reached the altar and, in an age-honoured tradition by wizards and witches everywhere, looked at Sirius with a blank expression. "Will you guard her?" he asked.

Sirius bowed his head and answered honestly, "With my last breath."

Then, with a small smile, Carter bowed his head to kiss me on the cheek, and placed my hand in Sirius'. He left us alone, and my fiancé brought me forwards, to stand in front of the vicar.

"Welcome," he started. "Today, we have gathered together to join two souls in eternal love. Sirius Orion Black and Rose Elizabeth White have asked me to slightly deviate from the original script, and to keep this short, so this is what we'll do. We will begin with the vows, which the couple have written themselves.

"Sirius," he asked, turning to him with a small smile. "Would you care to go first?"

Sirius smiled and didn't reach for the paper James tried to hand him. He knew what to say – he knew what love meant to us. "Rose, the day I met you, you opened your heart to me and defended me from people who tried to hurt me. Two days later, you stepped in front of me again and tried to protect me from harm. You were this young woman, who had had her entire life stolen from her, and you always tried to stop other people from being hurt.

"I can't tell you exactly when I fell in love with you; to be honest, I think it was when you told me you weren't a damsel." The crowd chuckled and I smiled, tears dripping from my eyes. "That day, that terrible, horrible day that you came back from- well, from hell, I thought you would never recover. But then you looked at me, and you fought yourself, so viciously, and I knew that you were fighting not just for yourself, but for us. For our love."

He paused, then said, "We haven't had the easiest ride, but I promise, Rose, that I will love you for every day of forever – on this side of the veil and on the next. I fell in love with you for your bravery, and strength, and for your wisdom – but mostly, I love you for the fact that you aren't too frightened to love me back, even after you met my mother."

The whole crowd laughed as Remus moved forwards, carrying Will, who was holding the wedding ring on a pillow. Sirius took it and my hand, and the reverend said, "Sirius, do you take this woman, in sickness and in health; for richer, for poorer; for better, for worse; until death parts you?"

"I do," he said, sliding the simple golden band onto my finger. We smiled at each other, and he gestured for me to begin.

"Sirius," I started, speaking through tears. "Now I have to try and explain how much I love you, which is a pretty much impossible task. I'm not going to be able to say this, because – well, I have to admit, I just can't articulate how much I do. So, instead, I'm going to simply say this – I love you.

"When I planned what to say, I realised that the reason I'm here today wasn't me, necessarily. It might not have even been my sister, who we all credit it to. It's you, Sirius. It was always you. You told me you loved me, and I was too afraid to say it back, but you didn't give up. I hurt you, but you simply took it and came back to help me. You stood by and let me make stupid decisions, then saved me from it afterwards. You took on more responsibility than any seventeen year-old – now eighteen year-old – should ever be asked to do. Sirius, you are the most incredible man I've ever met.

"You love me," I said, to finish, "You've told me this every day for the past year. But I don't say it to you, not nearly enough. I love you, Sirius Black – despite meeting your mother."

Again the crowd laughed, this time through tears. I could hear Cara sobbing behind me, could see the tears of joy flowing from Sirius' eyes, could feel the tears on my own cheeks. Peter came forwards, holding Lizzie, and I took the ring from my daughter, taking hold of Sirius' hands.

"Rose, do you take this man, in sickness and in health; for richer, for poorer; for better, for worse; until death parts you?"

"And beyond," I added in a whisper. "I do." I slid the ring onto his finger and the vicar smiled.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!" Sirius leant forwards and moved my veil away, wiping the tears from my cheeks as he leant down. He kissed me softly, taking my breath away, and then held me tightly as the crowd exploded into cheers.

We were laughing and crying as Cara and James reached us, hugging us. We were passed through the crowd, hugging everyone. Remus and Peter passed us Will and Lizzie, and Dumbledore reached us, kissing our foreheads with a glowing smile. "Congratulations!"

Lizzie grabbed my hair, laughing. I gasped as Will echoed her. "Did they just-?" I asked, looking at Sirius. He grinned.

"They laughed," he whispered. Then Madam Pomfrey was there, picking Lizzie up out of my arms, and Lily took Will out of Sirius', admonishing us in case we messed our clothes. We laughed, and Cara led us out of the church, a shower of confetti raining down on us, and she led us to the reception, held in our old home.

The door opened and the scent of lilies and roses floated out. The entire hall and first floor was decorated, and we were led out to the garden, where a marquee had been set up. Inside it, tables were set up around the edges of a dance floor. Flowers surrounded us, and Sirius took my hand, leading me to the dance floor amidst cheers.

A beautiful piano song started, and he twirled me into his arms. We swayed to the quiet beat as the lyrics began.

"_When the rain is blowing in your face_

_And the whole world is on your case_

_I could offer you a warm embraced_

_To make you feel my love."_

I smiled and reached up, kissing my husband sweetly. "I love you, Sirius Black."

"_When the evening shadows and the stars appear_

_And there is no one there to dry your tears_

_I could hold you for a million years_

_To make you feel my love."_

Sirius smiled back and leant down, resting his cheek against mine as we moved. "I love you too, Rose Black."

I laughed at hearing my new name for the first time. This time I would be happy to take my husband's name.

"_I know you haven't made your mind up yet_

_But I would never do you wrong._

_I've known it from the moment that we met_

_No doubt in my mind where you belong._

_I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue;_

_I'd go crawling down the avenue._

_No there's nothing that I wouldn't do,_

_To make you feel my love."_

He swung me around and I laughed, twirling beneath the lights and the flowers, surrounded by my friends and family, with my husband in my arms. Everything was perfect.

"_To make you feel my love,_" the song finished and I swirled closer to him. We held each other as the song finished, then James stepped up and took my hand, leading me away as Lily did the same with my – I could barely believe it – husband.


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter Sixty-Four – Cara **

**The Reception**

I watched their first dance with tears in my eyes. The ceremony had been beautiful; the vows had made me cry – it was breath-taking. I smiled through the tears, the song ended, and everyone else joined them on the dance floor. Remus bowed and offered me his hand; I took it, eager to respond to the call off the music. We danced for hours before finally stopping. We headed to the table, ready for dinner. The food was excellent, but all through the meal a dread was building in me over the speech I would shortly be making.

Then the meal was finished and Sirius stood up. "I just wish to thank you all for coming; it means a great deal to Rose and me. I also want to make a quick toast to my beautiful wife, Rose, who has made me the happiest man in the world. To Rose!" he said, raising his glass and everyone else did the same. "Right, I'm going to hand you over to my best man now, but don't believe a word he says." With that he sat down, and James stood grinning at the couple.

"Right, well I'm here to welcome you all to this very special day, to point out the fire exits and to tell you a little about Sirius and Rose. But firstly, I think everybody will agree that the bridesmaids look absolutely gorgeous and Rose, can I just say you look stunning – whereas Sirius just looks stunned.

"Anyway, down to business, emotional day though... evens the cake's in tiers! Well, what can I tell you about the groom? I've known him for a little over seven years, and he's:

"Handsome,

Intelligent,

Witty,

Charismatic…

"Wait sorry, wrong wedding." Everyone laughed.

"When Sirius asked me to be his best man today, part of me was honoured; part of me was terrified; but mostly, I was laughing inwardly that he's finally admitting what we've known all along; that I am, in fact, better than him – the _best_ man.

"The most important thing I had to do today was make sure Sirius got to the church on time, looking presentable, clean-cut and sober. Given how nervous he was this morning, the 'sober' part was a minor miracle, and as for the rest, well, I got him there on time… Anyway, despite being a prankster, he's been a true friend, like a brother to me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, and likewise, nothing he wouldn't do for me. In fact, we spend our whole lives doing nothing for each other. By the way, I should just say that if he challenges anyone to an arm wrestle later on, use your left arm. And if he grins and asks you to pull his finger, I'd advise you to leave quickly and quietly by the nearest available exit." Again, the crowd laughed.

"When Sirius first met Rose, I knew there was something special happening; having been a bit of a jack the lad before then, he changed into the perfect, well almost perfect, gentleman.

"They haven't been together for a long time, but I can't think of a single couple more perfect for each other. She brings out the good side in him, which takes a lot of effort; in fact, I'd say she's made him a better person since they've been together. Rose, I'd like to thank you on behalf of humanity for that. So to wrap this up, I'd just like to say that marriage is not about finding someone you can live with, it's about finding someone you can't live without. So, if everyone would like to join me in a toast to the new Mr and Mrs Black, Sirius and Rose. May your love be modern enough to survive the times, and old fashioned enough to last for ever. Ladies and Gentlemen: the Bride and Groom."

Everyone clapped and cheered as he sat down. Rose was in stiches and Sirius was pouting at him. I stood up nervously and cleared my throat. I had been preparing the speech for weeks, but it was nerve-racking standing up to say it in front of everyone.

"Hi! I'm Cara and, of course, Rose's twin. I just wanted to say a few things to congratulate Rose and Sirius. I have always wanted the perfect guy to walk right into Rose's life. As children we were home schooled and never knew any boys, but we knew we would, one day, fall in love, and I'm happy that Rose has done just that. I, for one, could not be happier that Sirius and Rose have got married. It has been such a joy, watching the two of them grow closer over the last year; from the moment they looked into each other's eyes, it was clear they were meant to find each other.

"Being twins, we never did anything alone; sure, we could have grown apart and tried to walk on our own two feet, but we never wanted to. She's caring, a riot to be around, and has stood up for me when no one else did. She has been the rock that tethered me to life when nothing else could. She brought me back when I thought everything was lost and, thanks to her, I found the love of my life.

"I still remember the day that we met Sirius, waiting on platform nine and three quarters. We were terrified about starting in the last year when Sirius came over. Although he was loud and a bit boisterous, you knew right away that he was genuine and really caring. At that moment, I knew that Sirius would be the perfect match for Rose. He was everything she wanted in life – stability, humour, he has a great outlook on everything, and had rendered her speechless. After an awkward moment, I introduced us, giving her a chance to get composed and, what did she do, but tell the boy offering to carry her trunk she was 'no damsel'. Thankfully, he just found it amusing and then everything changed. They were no longer a couple of awkward strangers, but something else. They were talking, laughing and joking, the two just _worked_ together. They were two sides of the same coin and it was amazing to watch them realise this over the following weeks.

"Well, as we know, all couples go through their rough spots, but, even in those times, Sirius never wavered from my sister; even when she tried to deny her love for him. He was strong and determined to make it work and, as you can see, it did. Which is why, despite early reservations about the infamous pranksters, I must admit that he is worthy of my sister.

"I want to wish the best to both Rose and Sirius because they deserve the world. They are my family and I wish nothing more than a lifetime of happiness for them. I have only known Sirius for a year, but I know for a fact that he will treat her the way she deserves. I can say this with certainty as I know Sirius doesn't want to risk me carrying out my threats, which do, of course, still stand.  
Sirius is such a warm and caring man to Rose – not to the rest of world, but to Rose, he is. And for that reason, I have no doubt in my mind that these two will be in love forever.

"Congratulations! No one deserves this better than you two; you have fought for your love and I'm glad that you are married! Now, a toast for the bride and groom; may your love last forever, through this world and the next."

I sat down as everyone clapped. I looked at Rose, who had tears in her eyes, and Sirius, who was laughing.

With the speeches over, we all headed back to the dance floor. The dancing lasted until it got dark and I dragged everyone out side. The second everyone was out, I flicked my wand and the fireworks I had ready began. The display went off perfectly and, at the end, a message hung in the sky in gold letters.

_When it comes to loving couples,_

_You make the perfect pair_

_But there's romance, love, and laughter,_

_In the friendship that you share._

_You care enough to listen,_

_To trust and understand._

_To build a life together,_

_Side by side and hand in hand._

_You both know that you're lucky_

_And have a good thing going._

_Through ups and downs_

_You give and take,_

_Your love just keeps on growing…_

'_Cause you bring out the best,_

_Of the other one,_

_I guess it takes the two of you_

_To make the perfect one._


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter Sixty-Five – Rose**

**Party Crashers**

I stood in my husband's arms, staring up at the fireworks that still lit the sky in the beautiful message my sister had sent for me. In that moment, I knew that we had done the right thing, coming here; no matter how hard it had been, this place was the perfect place to say goodbye to my turbulent past, and move on to a beautiful future. I knew it wouldn't be perfect – hell, if it was ever easy, I would be surprised. We still had to fight Voldemort, we still were in danger, we were still in trouble, but somehow it didn't matter.

Not to me; not to us.

I turned around and kissed my husband fervently, then laughed as we broke apart. "The party's going on late," I whispered. "Poppy – Madam Pomfrey – took the twins off again. She said that it would be 'inappropriate' giving two four months-olds to two newlyweds on their wedding night."

He laughed and twirled me around, even there was no music. "Mrs Black, are you suggesting you might have enough energy to get up to something tonight?"

"Mr Black," I replied cheekily, "It is not _my_ energy levels I'm worried about."

He faked looking offended, but then laughed and looked up as our friends converged upon us. Cara was hand in hand with Remus – they were excited by this as they knew their wedding was next – and James and Lily were wrapped up in each other. Peter and Mary simply stood by each other's' side – the knowledge that they were there for each other was enough.

I looked at our six best friends and knew, with a sudden lurch, that we might not make it out of this alive. But I also knew, in that sudden lurch, that while it might not be easy, or perfect, or happy, we would survive. Not all of us, maybe – not even most of us, perhaps – but some would, and we would live in each other's memories.

"We set a date," Lily said to me, breaking me out of my reverie. "We want it to be on Halloween!"

Sirius laughed, and said, "Was that James' idea by any chance?"

"How would you have guessed?" replied the man in question.

"I think it's perfect," Cara and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. I guess we were still twins, even after all we'd done.

Then we heard shouting, and I spun on the spot, reaching into my bodice and withdrawing my wand. Around me, my family – for that was what they were – also took out wands. We stood together, waiting for whatever was coming our way, ready for anything.

The doors to our house opened, and people spilled out, clutching their wands, too. Some looked to be bleeding and it hit me. Tom was here.

I sighed, and stared down at my dress wistfully. "I really didn't want to get blood on this dress," I wined, annoyed. Sirius glanced down at me and grinned, before looking up again and getting ready.

"Well don't, then," he said with a wolfish smile, and we fanned out into a line. The eight of us stood ready, the Order swirling around and filling out our line, the injured going to the back. Unfortunately for us, Dumbledore had left hours ago, but the Prewitt brothers (I still couldn't look at Fabian without cringing), Mad-Eye Moody, Aberforth Dumbledore, Benjy Fenwick, Dorcas Meadowes and Elphias Dodge all joined us, along with our non-Order friends, Marlene and Emmeline (who I had a feeling may be joining them soon). We stood ready as the Death Eaters poured out of my childhood home.

I yelled in anger and stunned the first one. That acted as a catalyst; suddenly, spells were flying everywhere and people were falling. I didn't know what happened to my own friends – I could barely keep track of myself, let alone anyone else – so I simply began to duel.

Over my years, I had duelled an awful lot. I'd duelled Voldemort himself, so I was hardly hard pressed – or too hard pressed – by his minions. I was hampered by my dress, but I fought quickly and well (or at least that was how it seemed to go). A streak went passed me face and blood from my cheek spattered across my gown.

Angrily, I turned to Bellatrix (newly turned) Lestrange, saying, "Crashing the party, Bella?"

She snarled and we began to duel. I had never realised just how good Bellatrix was, and this time I _was_ hard pressed to fight her. But I managed, throwing up spell after spell, until, in exasperation, I threw out one I had made up.

"_Frangeret__virgae__!_" I yelled, and she screamed in horror as her wand snapped in two. Ceasing to see her as a threat, I darted back into the fray, angry at what had happened to my perfect wedding. I searched the crowds hastily, but, as I had assumed, Tom Riddle was not here. Of course he wasn't, I thought bitterly. Why would he be? He just wanted to ruin this day for me.

I saw a jet of gold light escape from my wand and raised it, pointing to the sky. Then I looked at Cara, who met my eyes and broke her duel, raising her wand and letting an identical stream of light out of her wand. Then I turned to Sirius, as she turned to Remus, and they joined us in our silent, but powerful, spell. Soon, all eight of the marauders were standing still, protected by the golden light that surrounded us. The Death Eaters looked wary, not frightened, yet, of the glowing gold magic, but confused as to what was going on. From the side of the room, I met Regulus' eyes. The child had not been fighting, but cowering in fear and torn loyalties. This gave me the hope I needed, so I turned back to our people and bowed my head.

That was the signal everyone needed, and the spell erupted from our wands into a glow of colour. Eight animals exploded – just like our patronuses, but a different spell – out of our wands, and cantered around the party, touching each person as they went. If they were welcome here, the spell left them untouched; if they were not, the spell forcibly ejected them from the village, and would not allow them to enter the village for seven days.

As the spell wound up, I let my arm fall, breathing heavily. "Lily is a fucking genius," I muttered as Sirius caught up with me. We fell into each other's arms, holding the other up, and then he kissed me.

"You're okay," Sirius said, relieved.

I smiled. "We're okay. I'm going to murder Bella, though; she got blood on my dress."

Around us, the crowd, who were clearing up and catching their breath, heard us and burst out laughing. The relief seemed to fill the crowd and they were buoyant and happy. I loved that my wedding really hadn't been ruined at all.

During the gales of laughter that followed, I met my husband's eyes and said, "Isn't it our wedding night?"

"So it is," he agreed, and then turned to the others. "Guys, thanks so much for coming and for fighting and for – well, everything – but it is our wedding night, so if we make an early exit…"

The others laughed loudly, and James, Peter, Remus, the Prewitt twins and Benjy Fenwick (a rather amusing member of the order) all yelled, "Get some!"

We laughed, then Sirius wrapped his arms around me and disapparated.

We arrived in our bedroom at home, which had clearly been specially prepared. The way Sirius smiled, almost sheepishly, made me think he had done it. It was made up (completely tidy – well done!), fresh sheets on the bed, and roses. Everywhere I looked, there were red roses. Rose petals lay on the floor and the sheets, and there were roses entwined onto the bedframe. There were vases all over the room, too, and Sirius produced a rose with a smile, tucking it into my hair as he kissed me.

"Why don't you change out of that dress?" he suggested. "We need to clean up your cheek, too."

"Are you injured?" I asked him. When he shook his head, I smiled. "Could you help with the laces, love? I can't get them very easily."

He shot me an amused look (which meant 'of course I will undress you'), then reached for the laces at the back of my dress, undoing them slowly and helping my slip out of the beautiful, bloody thing. I picked it up, standing in my underwear (a corset for today, as my dress was strapless – oh, and seamed stockings simply because Sirius liked them) and heels, and took it to the other side of the room, hanging it up. Then I placed my wand on the bedside table and let my hair down, pulling off my jewellery at the same time. I turned back to look at my husband, who stood there watching me.

"Well?" I asked him, smiling. "Aren't you going to play doctor?"

He grinned and stalked across the room, lifting me off my feet and kissing me as he pulled me down onto the bed. "Yes," he whispered against my lips. "I will." Then he picked up his wand and siphoned the blood off my face, casting a healing charm on my cheek. I knew it would scar – she had cursed me, and curse wounds couldn't grow back magically, so it would heal in its own time – but I didn't care if Sirius didn't.

The way he was kissing me made me assume he didn't.

We moved quickly through the various stages of undress, and yes, he did take the garter off for me – with his teeth. By the time we were naked, we were both in the throes of passion, but I knew there was one more thing I had to say before we consummated our marriage.

"Sirius," I gasped, pulling his lips from my neck. I stared into his eyes, his beautiful stormy-grey eyes and smiled. "I love you."

His face split into a beautiful smile. Sometimes, he looked so much like an angel that it made my heart ache looking at him. He kissed me softly, then whispered, "I love you too, Rose Black."

Then I pulled him back to me and we consummated our marriage. You could say we did it several times over, just to make sure we had done it right.

We had done it right.

The next morning, I woke up to Sirius kissing my neck and caressing me, smoothly stroking all of my scars as he continued down the length of my body. I had too many scars, I thought, but when we had first made love he had seen each one of them and, knowing how ashamed I had been of them, had kissed each and every one. I let myself drift back into the memory for a moment, smiling at the memory of his words.

"_Rose," he had whispered. "You know it doesn't matter how many scars you have; how could it? These scars show what you have suffered, and what you have managed to escape from. Each one of these is beautiful because it means you were strong enough to get through them. You shine with beauty because of your strength. I love you, my beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, sexy love."_

I smiled wider, opening my eyes as his lips drifted lower down my neck, then moaned softly. "Again?"

I could feel his smile against my skin. "Need you ask?"

Once we were both – again – sated, we got up and showered together. This, naturally, took a little longer than it normally would have, but we managed to get dressed without jumping on each other. We walked downstairs, hand in hand with each other, and jumped as we opened the kitchen doors, to find Remus and Cara half naked, lying across the kitchen table with their clothes strewn across the floor. Cara only had her underwear on, whereas Remus still had his trousers on.

I blushed bright red, but Sirius roared with laughter, clamping his hand over my eyes and saying, "Don't look, honey. You don't want to watch."

"Oh my God!" Cara shrieked, jumping up and reaching for her clothes. I batted Sirius hand away and tossed her a blouse, which I had been standing on.

"I thought we were bad," I told Sirius with a wry smile on my lips, "But at least we can constrain ourselves to the bedroom. You'd have to be an animal to do it on the kitchen table."

He leant down and whispered in my ear, "I am an animal." I laughed and batted his hands off me as Cara and Remus finished dressing, looking horribly embarrassed. They didn't look at anyone – not each other, not us – but instead at the floor, as if they were waiting for some judgement.

"Are you ashamed of yourselves?" I asked in a mock angry tone. Neither looked up, but both nodded, miserably. I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. "Well, you shouldn't be! Lighten up! If you want to sleep with each other, just do it. If you want to wait, wait! It's not long – just a month and a week to go."

Sirius agreed with me, and said, "Now, who's going to make us breakfast to make up for having to watch you animals?"

Cara grimaced, but Remus moved to the fridge obediently. Laughing, Sirius and I went out to the living room to wait, and the doorbell rang as we went passed. I opened the door to reveal James, Lily, Peter and Mary waiting there, and I ushered them in, calling to Cara and Remus to make more for them.

James looked at me oddly, and asked, "Why are they making you breakfast and doing what you say?"

I burst out laughing as I sat down next to Sirius, who, despite also being in fits of laughter, managed to reply, "We caught them half-naked on the kitchen table."

The other four soon joined in our laughter, even Lily. Remus and Cara brought us breakfast (looking extremely embarrassed at all the comments) and we sat down, the eight of us, eating and laughing as one entity. The doorbell rang again and I went to get it, opening the door to reveal Fabian and Gideon Prewitt. They looked grim.

"Morning boys," I greeted, my smile fading at the look on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"Can we come in?" they asked, simultaneously. Then Fabian spoke alone, "We have some bad news." I ushered them in to the living room nervously, and bade them sit. They didn't, exchanging worried glances as the others all stood at the look on their faces.

Gideon swallowed, but said, "Benjy Fenwick was found dead this morning. Blown apart by Death Eaters. We only got bits of him."

I swayed, almost collapsing as the blood rushed away from my head. Benjy? He couldn't be dead. He was fighting just last night… he was fine, a warrior, a fighter – a survivor! He couldn't be dead.

"That's not all," Fabian added softly. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Rose, but Charles Carter was found too. He's dead."

For a moment I heard nothing. Slowly, his words registered in my mind and I let out my breath in a huge whoosh, as if a huge weight had been dropped onto my chest.

No… Carter could not be dead. Not my friend, Carter – not the man who walked me up the aisle just the day before. Not him. Never. Suddenly, the ground seemed to be unsteady and it rushed up to meet me as I fainted, grateful for the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter Sixty-Six – Cara**

**Tears and Temptation**

I was stared at Fabian; it couldn't be true, it just couldn't. Sweet, funny Benjy – he couldn't be gone. He was here, fighting with us, just last night. This had to be a mistake… he wasn't. I couldn't, wouldn't believe it; he wasn't gone.

Fabian carried on talking. "That's not all. I'm sorry to tell you this, Rose, but Charles Carter was found too. He's dead." Carter, Rose's Carter. It couldn't be, he was strong, a fighter. God, how could he be dead? He escaped Voldemort; he'd saved Rose; he couldn't be gone. He couldn't – it would destroy Rose. He was like a dad to her. I glanced at Rose, to see if she was okay. She had gone pale, all the joking and laughter of earlier gone. I moved over quickly as she swayed slightly – being twins, I knew the signs, she was about to faint. I caught her as she fell, picking her up. I brought her to the bedroom, Sirius following behind, still in shock. I put her on the bed and turned to Sirius.

"Stay here with her for when she wakes up. She's going to need you and you're going to need her. I'm going to collect the twins. Try and get some sleep; you look like you need it, okay, and if she wakes up before I'm back tell her I'll be back as soon as I can and that it'll be okay. See you later, and please try and rest; you won't be able to cope if you don't." He nodded at me, moving towards Rose. "Sleep," I ordered as I apparated away.

I knocked on the door of the little house I had come to. Madam Pomfrey opened the door tears, spilling down her face. "Cara, dear, come in. I take it you heard the news; dreadful, so cruel. Those poor, poor men – nothing left but scraps. Is Rose alright? She was close to Carter, was she not?"

"She's sleeping, trying to recover. That's why I'm here and not her. He was like a father to her; she's going to struggle but she'll get through. Where are the twins?" I asked the crying woman.

"Through here dear, they're playing in the front room," she said, composing herself and leading me to where Lizzie and Will were playing, unaware of the horrors of the world around them. I watched them; they were so sweet, innocent, finding pleasure in everything. Watching them lifted my heavy heart and reminded me why we were fighting. I was fighting for them, for Rose, for Remus and my friends. I fought to give them a chance a life and my friends did the same. They were the reason grief hadn't overcome us, their light laughter, happy smiles and innocence.

I picked up Lizzie and Will, holding them close. They snuggled up to me, yawning sleepily. I smiled at them as they drifted off. Madam Pomfrey looked at me, sadness etched upon her face. "Are you off then?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something first," I said, worried about the kind woman.

"Of course, Cara, ask away."

"Would you like to come back with me? I really don't like the idea of you being alone today."

"Oh, Cara, that would be wonderful, I can't face being alone right now."

With that said, we went to the fire to floo back home. The moment we were back, Remus' arms were around me (and the twins, who were still sleeping) as he kissed me. I smiled as the memories of this morning flooded me. I had nearly got my way. He wanted to wait until we were married, but I was doing my best to convince him not to. This morning I had almost succeeded when Rose and Sirius had come in. I blushed, thinking about it, and looked at the kitchen table. I was going to finish what I started, but next time it wouldn't be on the table.

"Hello, Remus," Poppy said, drawing me away from inappropriate thoughts.

"Hello, Poppy, are you okay? Can I get you a drink?" he said, letting me go to fuss over the woman. I smiled at him and left the room. I went up to Rose's room; both Rose and Sirius were asleep, so I put the twins down in their cots and left.

I stood outside the door, unsure of what to do. I needed to keep busy, do something, anything to stop myself from thinking about it. I couldn't, because, if I thought of their deaths, I would spiral in to a dark place that I couldn't come back from. I moved slowly, thinking of what to do; the house was immaculate so I couldn't clean it, the garden was perfect so didn't need tending. There was nothing to do, no way to distract myself. The wedding plans were done, Mary's hen night planned. I sat down, trying to find anything that would keep my mind from wandering.

I was about to give up and join Remus and Poppy when I remembered how I had learnt to ignore the horror of my parents death with a mind numbing activity. Woodwork. I made endless things to distract myself and I could do it again now.

I summoned wood from the garden and headed for the attic. When we had moved to Hogwarts I had kept all the tools I needed, and when we moved here I put them in the attic. I could have done what I did by magic, but instead I did it the muggle way. It took my mind off of things and was weirdly soothing.

The day slipped away as I made figures, shelves, even a new kitchen table. By the time I went back down, everybody had gone or was in bed. It was the morning; my day and night had washed away, but at least my grief hadn't taken me over. I looked out at the rising sun, moving all I had created down stairs. I placed the shelves, complete with my figures, in the living room, and the table in the kitchen. By the time I was done, Remus had come down and was watching me distract myself by moving around the figures until they were perfect.

When I finally stopped, Remus wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. The kiss deepened and, before long, we were in the same situation as yesterday. Only this time, Rose and Sirius hadn't walked in. "Remus are you sure, I know you wanted to wait and I'm okay with that," I said, kissing him softly.

"I'm sure; yesterday reminded me how easily I could lose you, so I wanted to give you everything now in case I do lose you," he said against my lips.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter Sixty-Seven – Rose**

**A Funeral and Out to Work**

I woke up two days after Carter's death to bumps and laughter coming from downstairs. Somehow, I knew Cara had gotten her way, and Remus and she were having a little fun downstairs.

I groaned and sat up as Will started crying, automatically reaching for him. This had become routine for the four of us in the morning; I would wake up, then Will would, and I would feed him. By this time, Sirius and Lizzie would wake up, and he would take Will and change him while I fed Lizzie. We would bathe and change the babies, then (after dressing them) we would manage to get washed and dressed ourselves, before taking ourselves downstairs to have breakfast. We hadn't started to wean them – I wanted to feed them up to six months, at least, but I was starting work in another two weeks and we needed to. Poppy Pomfrey simply said we could do whatever was best, because in the end it was our life and we had to live with it.

I picked Will up, while Sirius picked Lizzie up, and we walked downstairs together, to go and get breakfast. I reached out to open the door, laughing at something Sirius said, and saw clothes all over the floor. I groaned, swinging back and shutting the door, not bothering to see if they were even in there.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Cara and Remus are a pair of animals, and their clothes are all over the floor again," I told him, laughing a little. "Come on, let's put the babies down in the living room, and then we can go and split them up."

Sirius barked a laugh, and spun on his foot, walking into the front room. They were in there, completely naked, wrapped up in each other. I groaned aloud and yelled, "Move into your own home!" before storming into the kitchen and putting Will in the playpen in the kitchen. Sirius followed me and kept a hold of Liz while I began banging pots around, making breakfast. He was still laughing.

"The reason," I spat, "That we bought two adjoining houses was so we _wouldn't_ have to walk in on them having sex!"

"Why are you so annoyed by this?" he asked me, still laughing.

"Because they live in a house with two infants!" I said, still irritated but not as angry as I'd been before. I sighed, deeply, and served Sirius a plate of breakfast as Remus opened the door and peeked inside.

"Guys, listen," he started, but I shot him a look and he shut up, blushing red. Sirius smiled to himself and put Liz down, before tucking into his breakfast and leaving them to me.

"Where is my sister?" I asked him, not looking up from the stove. I could hear him swallow from across the room, and he said, "She's getting dressed."

"I'd like to speak to the both of you, if I could," I told him, softly. He said nothing, but I heard the door open and close again, and Cara came downstairs, joining her fiancé with a chastised expression on her face. Swallowing down the sorrow at what I was about to say, I looked up, serving them breakfast too.

"Sit down and eat," I told them, quietly. They took the plates and sat, but kept watching me. "Guys," I started, "This isn't working."

"What do you mean?" Cara said, sounding confused. "Look, I know this is a little inappropriate, but we didn't mean-"

"I mean," I said, cutting into her, "That as much as I love living with you two, as much as I love you two, we can't keep doing this. The twins are two young to be living in a house with people who just- just have sex all over the house. I think it's time for you to move next door."

Cara looked like she'd been hit in the face. "Rose, you can't mean that."

"I'm going to go and get ready for the funeral," I told her, my voice barely holding steady. "I don't want you to move out right away, but we should start moving your things across. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Sirius caught my hand as I moved and kissed it. Then he let me go and I went upstairs to change.

I wouldn't cry, I vowed to myself as I pulled on a black dress. I stared in the mirror as I slicked a little make-up on and pulled my hair up. I could hear an argument going on downstairs between the others, but I didn't care. I went downstairs, grabbing the twins' bags and clothes as I went.

I opened the kitchen door to see Cara's tear stained face and Remus and Sirius standing across from each other like they were about to come to blows. I supressed a sob, and moved across to pick up the children. Keeping my voice low, I pleaded with them. "Please, guys, can we argue later? I just… want to get through today."

Both Sirius and Cara moved to my side instantly. Sirius kissed me lightly and took Will, taking his clothes to change him into his funeral gear, and Cara touched my lightly on the shoulder. "Sorry, Rosie," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," I told her, changing Lizzie into her black dress and hugging her to me chest. "But, as much as I never want you to go, the two of you want your own house, your own space, your own children. Today was a bit of a wake-up call for me, Ca, and it should have been for you; we're not children anymore. We need our own space to raise our own families. And we'll only be next door – I'll still see you every day, I promise."

She laughed, and said, "You'll never get rid of me, Rosie. But you're right. It's time we moved on a little."

Then she hugged me, tightly, and kissed my cheek. I smiled and said, "Get dressed. We don't want to be late."

We arrived at the church together, meeting the Order already there. Benjy was being buried tomorrow, and Carter today. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it together, as hard as I tried.

We moved into the church and, as his only 'family', I sat in the front pew. Sirius slid in beside me, as did Cara and Remus. Dumbledore joined us, and the rest of the Order filed in. His coffin sat in the front, with the crest of the Order of the Phoenix on the front.

I held in the tears that threatened to fall, and buried my face in my daughter's hair. Sirius placed his arm around me and the ceremony began.

It was simple and kind and the mourners clearly felt for him. We sang hymns and many people cried. Then it was time for my eulogy.

I stood up, passing Lizzie to Cara, and made my way to the front. The wizard doing the ceremony patted my on the arm as I passed, and I smiled wanly at him as I faced the church.

"Charles Carter was a very close friend of mine," I told them softly. "In fact, in many ways I considered him a father. The day before he died, he walked me down the aisle, and I knew that he felt like I was his daughter."

I stopped for a second, gathering up my will, and started again. "I first met Carter three years ago, in the home of Lord Voldemort. He was serving him as a Death Eater, and his kindness to me is the only reason I survived at all. He kept me alive and sane for two years, and I grew to love him deeply. He was a kind, intelligent, loving and fiercely loyal person, and it was an honour to meet him.

"Carter broke with Voldemort almost a year ago now, and he joined the resistance, fighting with everything he had against his old master. He was a good man, a kind man, and one of the best men I've ever met."

When I next spoke, my voice wavered and nearly broke. "Carter never had a family of his own, or a wife. His parents died when he was young, murdered by muggles, and this tortured him. From this, he grew to hate muggles and joined Voldemort's movement. But he realised how wrong he was quickly, and tried to get out. I am proud to say that he managed to escape evil and fight for good.

"Because of Carter, I learnt several things: doing something wrong doesn't mean you can never earn redemption; losing someone you love doesn't mean you can never love again; and lastly, and perhaps most importantly, in the end, it is better to be dead, than to be dark. Carter taught me this. Carter taught me to love life, and live life, even when all seemed dark. He was one of my best friends, my father, and a truly good man. I will always remember him."

Shaking, I moved back and sat back down. Tears spilt out of my eyes and I buried my face in my hands, refusing to sob as the misery and sorrow of my adopted-father's death crashed down onto me. His loss twisted through my heart, shattering it just as my family's death had previously.

Two arms wrapped around my waist from opposite sides of me, and my daughter was pressed into my arms. I drew comfort from my family and I had the strength to look up and finish the ceremony. I even managed to survive the graveside, and then we went home together, not being able to face the wake.

That night, I lay in Sirius' arms, comforted by the sound of his beating heart.

The day I started healer training was the same day Sirius started auror training. Cara was going off to Wales to start looking after dragons (insane, I know) and Remus was starting a teaching course. Lily would meet me at St Mungo's and James would meet Sirius at the Ministry. Peter and Mary were opening their shop – a mixed apothecary and charmed trinkets and jewellery shop – the next day, and were busy getting it ready.

The twins were coming with me to work (there was a nursery there) and I would pick them up before I came home. We had everything sorted out.

I was dressed in my trainee-healer robes (not the lime-green of fully qualified healers, but white with the crossed bone and wand sign) and, after kissing Sirius goodbye and picking up the children, I flooed to my first day of work.

At St Mungo's, Lily was waiting for me along with two other new trainees, who looked up as I came in.

"Hi," said the first, a young man with blonde hair and brown eyes. He was a little taller than me, and quite attractive in a pretty sort of way. "I'm Aiden, Aiden Middleton."

The other one, also a young man but with brown hair and blue eyes, and quite small, looked up and smiled nervously. "I'm Josh, Joshua Prince."

"Hey," I greeted them. "I'm Rose Black."

They nodded to me, and Aiden said, "You have children?"

"Yeah," I agreed as the door opened and a woman with a badge saying Healer Roan came in.

"Good morning, trainees!" she called, and we all greeted her in return. She shot me a look and said, "The nursery is on our way up to the training office, you can drop them off there."

"Thank you," I told her.

"I am Selena Roan, and I am the Head of Training here at St Mungo's. Today, we will be going over the basics of the way the hospital runs. Over the next two weeks, we will be learning some healing techniques and then, after the two weeks are over, you will be sent up to different wards to work on. Depending on how well you do, you will be working where it suits you best.

"Follow me."

Needless to say, we followed the commanding woman. I dropped the twins off with the nice women in the nursery, and then had a tour. We looked through all of the floors, starting with Artefact Accidents and Creature-Induced Injuries, then going up to Spell Damage. We were then brought back down to the Third Floor (Potions and Plant Poisoning), where our office was based, and began to learn.

The day was interesting, if hard work. We broke for lunch and I went down to check on the twins. They were sleeping, and the lady (a lovely woman named Sally James) had everything under control, so I went upstairs to join my fellow trainees in a spot of lunch.

Lily smiled as I slid in beside her, and the two men looked up in greeting. "How are the twins?" Lily asked.

"Sleeping," I told her. "It's unbelievable; they never sleep in the day for me. I know it means they'll be up all night."

Joshua looked up, interesting. "How old are the twins?"

"They're just over four months," I explained. "William and Elizabeth."

"Those are lovely names," Aiden complemented me with a rakish smile. "How does your husband cope with having young children around?" He was clearly fishing for information, not actually expecting me to be married.

"Oh, Sirius does brilliantly. He truly loves his children," I told him lightly. He raised his eyebrows, but smiled.

"That's good to know. Some guys just can't handle being around children, especially when they're so young," he said.

Lily spoke for me since my mouth was full. "Sirius has always loved children, and he absolutely adores Rose. They belong together."

I rolled my eyes at her. "You're just saying that because I'm your maid of honour."

"You're getting married?" Aiden asked her, shocked.

"October," she said with a brilliant smile. "I'm so excited; I can't wait. I can't believe we're finally getting married."

"Believe it," I advised her. "You and James belong together. It was so obvious that I saw it the day we met."

She laughed. "It's because of you we're together."

I smiled, but moved on. "What about you two? Married? Engaged? In a relationship? Children?"

Aiden gave a mock shudder. "God forbid. I'm only nineteen; I don't think I could stand being tied down so young."

I smiled and looked over at Joshua, who grimaced. "I… I'm sort of engaged."

"Sort of?" all three of us asked together. I carried on alone. "How can you be sort of engaged?"

He smiled a little sadly. "Well, we are engaged, but we won't get married."

I noticed his sorrow and wanted to leave it, but Aiden carried on. "Why?"

He looked uncomfortable. "She's ill. Louise is… very ill."

Silence fell around us and I sighed. "I'm sorry, Josh."

He smiled. "Don't be. We always knew it was going to happen; Lou's been ill for a long time." Then he carried on eating for a moment, before asking, "So you two are eighteen and already married and engaged?"

"Yeah," Lily said with a small smile. "Rose grew up when she was quite young."

"You could say that," I agreed with a barely withheld wince. "Lily's always been an old soul."

We carried on for a little, having quiet conversations, then went back downstairs and began to study. Selena was a hard taskmistress, but we learnt together quite quickly and by the end of the day we could answer her questions as quickly as she asked us them. By the end of the day, I was exhausted but quite pleased with what we'd done, and I invited the others to dinner at ours. Lily agreed instantly, as did Aiden, but Josh said, "I have to get back to Lou."

I smiled at him and said, "See you tomorrow then." We picked up the twins and then flooed home. Sirius was waiting for me at the fire and grinned taking the babies and putting them down before taking me into his arms, dipping me backwards and kissing me thoroughly.

"Hello," he greeted me softly when he let me up for air.

I laughed. "Hello." Then I stood up straight and turned to our guests with a smile. "Aiden, this is my husband, Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Aiden Middleton."

"It's nice to meet you," Sirius said, holding out a hand to Aiden, who glanced at him suspiciously before shaking.

"Sirius Black?" he asked. "Are you related to Walburga and Orion Black?"

"Much to my chagrin," he answered. Then he turned to me. "Rose, honey, I invited James to dinner. Remus and Cara are coming over too, as are Peter and Mary."

"Is Regulus coming?" I asked him as I led the way to the kitchen, where I hugged my brother with a smile. "Hey, James."

"Hey, Rosie," he greeted. "Where's my godson?"

"Here," Lily said, coming in and handing Will to James. "He's gorgeous, isn't he? Getting so big, too," she added, a sappy smile on her face.

I smiled and said, "Aiden, this is James Potter. Do you want something to drink? Beer? Wine? I'm opening a bottle."

He smiled, nodding a greeting to James. "I'd love a beer."

"Sirius, honey, can you get one?" Sirius threw Aiden one, grabbed one for himself and passed one to James as Cara and Remus let themselves in the front door, laughing.

"We're home!" she shouted, and I laughed.

"In the kitchen, sis!" I yelled back. The two came in, smiling, and I introduced them, too. "How was dragon training?"

She grinned. "I loved it. I mean, it's incredible. So much fun! I almost wish I could go to Romania and meet all the other breeds. Wales is fun, but it doesn't have much variety."

Remus snorted. "Let's not move to Romania."

She smiled at him, then grabbed my hand and said, "Sister talk!"

We moved through the house and she dragged my upstairs to my bedroom, sitting me down with a worried look. "What is it, Ca?" I asked her, worried.

She paced up and down in front of me and swallowed. "Rose, I think I'm pregnant."


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter Sixty-Eight – Cara**

**Breaking the News**

Rose stared at me for a few minutes then screamed, hugging me. "Ca, that's amazing. I'm going to be an auntie," she squealed excitedly.

"Not so fast Rosie, I'm not even sure if I am yet."

"I'll cast a detection spell so we can find out, but I'm sure you are." I nodded, just as eager to find out. She quickly cast the spell and confirmed what I already knew. I was pregnant. We squealed, jumping around in excitement. A thousand things rushed through my mind; they all rushed passed – well, all but one. How the hell was I going to tell Remus (and everyone else for that matter)?

"Rosie, how the hell am I going to tell Remus?" I asked, looking at my overexcited twin. Her face sobered for a moment, before she started to laugh.

"I don't have a clue; Sirius broke the news to me. Have fun with telling him," she said, leaving the room with one last laugh and excited squeal.

I grinned. "Rosie, don't tell anyone. Not even Sirius."

"Not a soul, promise," she called over her shoulder, laughing.

The moment she was gone, plans were forming in my mind. I had to tell him right away, but I didn't know how. I could do something big and dramatic to tell him or I could… just _tell_ him. I decided on the latter; I would just tell him. How hard could it be? I took a deep breath, before leaving Rose's room to find him. He was sat in kitchen, talking to Lily about the wedding. "Remus, can I have a word out here?" I asked. He nodded and followed me out.

"What is it, honey?" he asked, looking concerned at the worry etched on my face.

I took a deep breath, then said, "I'm pregnant."

He didn't reply, just stood staring at me, completely shocked. I waited for him to say something, anything. The silence was deafening.

"Remus, please say something." I begged, after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm going to be a dad," he said softly, tears falling down both our faces. "I'm going to be a dad. Cara, wow, oh God, I don't know what to say. We're having a baby!" He picked me up, spinning me around. We kissed, laughing, crying and spinning around.

"Are you two coming?" Rose yelled from the kitchen.

"Be right in," I almost sang back, happiness radiating out of me. I pulled Remus along to join the others. I kept looking at Remus, a smile plastered on my face, an identical grin on Remus'. The others shot us suspicious looks, except for Rose, who kept giggling randomly.

Aiden, who Rose and Lily would be working with, seemed surprised that we were all getting married (or in Rose and Sirius' case already married). He seemed nice enough, but a bit immature, and slightly annoying. I got the impression he found us strange and was eager to leave.

I was right, and the moment dinner was over, he left. Once he was gone, Remus stood up and offered me his hand. I knew right away what he wanted to do. I took his hand beaming at him.

"Guys, we have something to tell you all. Cara's pregnant," Remus said, grinning at the boys. Instantly, Lily and Mary started jumping around yelling their congratulations. Rose just grinned at us, already knowing it. The boys clapped us on the back, congratulating us.

"Finally got some then? What happened to 'after we're married'?" James joked, earning a punch from Lily.

"Well, let's just say I was very persuasive," I said with a wink, making Remus blush as the others laughed. I grinned at my friends; they were all celebrating on our behalf.

A week later, I was sat on the kitchen worktop while Remus cooked me dinner, discussing baby names. We had been at it all day, and had finally settled on 'Daniel Remus' for a boy, but we still couldn't settle on a girl's name. We had chosen Rose for a middle name, but not the first name.

"What about Louise, Louise Rose?" he asked.

I shook my head. "What do you think of Abigail?"

"No, it's nice, but it just doesn't seem perfect."

I sat, watching him in silence, thinking of names. I was trying to think of girls names when it hit me. "Bethany Rose Lupin." I said simply, loving the way the name sounded.

Remus smiled, "Bethany Rose or Daniel Remus; they're perfect."

He was right; they were.

It was three days since we had picked names and it was now the day before the wedding. I was sitting under a tree in the garden, reading a book of dragon keeping in Romania, waiting for the others. They had planned my hen party and I knew nothing about it – which was extremely frustrating. All I knew was there would be no alcohol for me, and it would take all day. I looked at the sun; it was just past sunrise and so beautiful. The day was warm and, in the shade of the tree, I could see the beauty of the ending summer. I sighed contentedly, lying on my back to watch a bird flying above me. I would have stayed like that all day had Rose, Mary and Lily not appeared, ready to take me to my doom. I really hated surprises.


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter Sixty-Nine – Rose**

**A Hen Party sans Alcohol**

I reached down and lifted my pregnant twin sister to her feet. I knew how much she hated surprises, so I could guess how worried she was about tonight. I was also getting back at her for _my_ hen party… so, in my humble opinion, she should have definitely been worried.

"Well?" she asked, looking around us in worry. "Where are you taking me?"

I grinned wickedly. "Don't even think about it," I warned her. "You kept it a secret from me." Then I took her hand, joined hands with Lily (who was holding onto Mary) and we apparated away.

When we got out of the suffocating blackness, Cara was looking around us, again worried. "Where are we?"

"Ibiza," I told her, leaning down and unstrapping my shoes so I could walk bare-foot on the beach. "This, originally, was meant to be a weekend of booze, sun and blokes. Then, you went and got up the duff, leaving my plans in ruin. So now, we are having the party sans alcohol."

She grimaced, but followed me down the beach to a small house. We entered and Cara was shocked to find it a spa, not a club or something. She grinned at me. "You are going to let me be pampered?"

I smiled and told her to settle down. "It's not the only thing we're doing, trust me. Now… Ambroise! Here is the bride to be!"

One of the most handsome men in the world, ever, walked up to us and bowed, kissing Cara's hand. "Mademoiselle," he said softly, "Welcome to Ibiza. Allow me to pamper you on your last day of freedom."

Reacting to his presence, Cara let out a very un-Cara-like giggle and allowed him to lead her through to the main room. I shot glances at the other two, expecting to receive amused glances in return, and only received sappy. 'oh-he's-so-gorgeous' looks instead. I sighed, amused but irritated, and hit them both on the head. "Wake up, ladies. You have fiancés at home!"

They exchanged guilty glances, we all laughed, and then we followed the two into the room.

We spent the day in heaven. We had manicures, pedicures, massages (with incredibly attractive masseuses) and we spent an hour or so in a sauna. By the time we were done, and dressed in hen-party clothes, it was evening in Ibiza. We hurried out together, clinging to each other as our heels sunk into the sand, and we burst out laughing.

We had dressed Cara in a min-wedding dress, complete with a puff skirt that just barely covered her underwear, a banner, a crown, fairy wings and a sparkly wand. We were all dressed in pink (which was, apparently, a horrible colour with red hair – sorry, Lily!).

We hurried down the beach, waving at the people who looked over at us, and entered the bar I'd sorted out, walking through to the balcony that I had reserved. There, we were served non-alcoholic cocktails and were all sat down.

Cara sighed. "You guys, today has been incredible. Thank you so much."

We grinned wickedly. "It's not over yet, Ca," I told her with a soft smile. "I wouldn't let you get off that lightly, not after what you did to me!"

A look of horror passed over her face. "You wouldn't…"

I grinned. "Wouldn't I?" Then I called out, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Four men in black cloaks came out, their faces covered with masks that showed Professor Dumbledore, Professor Slughorn, Professor Flitwick and Professor Grey. Cara nearly screamed with laughter as they dropped their cloaks and began to dance in time to this music that came on, stripping off their clothes as they did so.

Once they were down to their pants (which were all matching in white and had 'Cara' in pink across the bum), the one wearing Dumbledore's mask came over to Cara and dragged her to her feet, deaf to her protests, and got her dancing in the middle of the four of them. She was yelling, "No, no, I can't," while laughing, so we considered it a win.

I stood up and made my way forwards, as did Lily and Mary, and grabbed Professor Grey with a smirk. "Really?" I asked him. "You had to come as Grey?"

Sirius' voice came from behind the mask. "Of course I did," he agreed, then leant down to kiss me and was met with the mask. "Ow."

We all laughed, and Flitwick twirled Lily around, as Slughorn pulled Mary into his arms. Cara stared at Sirius for a long minute, then squeaked, "Sirius?"

"The one and only," he agreed, stripping off his mask.

James' voice came from behind the Flitwick mask, laughing, "God forbid there should be more than one."

Cara ignored him as we laughed, and spun back to the man wearing Dumbledore's mask, asking, "Remus?"

The man shook his head, wryly. "Nope, sorry. Not under here."

She jumped away from him, asking wildly, "It's meant to be his stag night! What have you done with him? And who's he?"

Peter laughed from under the Slughorn mask, ripping it off. "You could say that, at the moment, Remus is a bit… tied up." The other boys laughed, James also de-masking.

"Who are you?" she asked the man in the mask again, worry crossing her face. I laughed at her, spinning away from Sirius and wrapping my arm around her waist.

"Honey," I started. "Don't get mad at me…"

The boy – not man – behind the mask dropped it and laughed, shaking his black hair loose and winking at her, momentarily closing one of his grey eyes. "Hey, Ca," Regulus greeted.

"Oh my God," she gasped, then turned on me with half-horrified-half-amused eyes. "You didn't…?"

"Tell him you thought he was cute?" I asked. "Oh, of course I did. I knew you would want someone attractive as your… main attraction!" I was barely withholding my laughter at this time, and trying desperately to hold onto my straight face.

She blushed red and yelled, "You're evil!"

I laughed, and everyone joined in. From behind her, the real Regulus Black asked, "You think I'm cute?"

Cara spun around, confused, and frowned. "Regulus…? Then who-" She spun back around as the polyjuice potion wore off of Remus, who was holding his sides as he laughed.

Cara shook her head, laughing too, and hit him. "You!"

He grinned. "Hey, beautiful!" Then, out of the shadows, Frank, Alice, Marlene, Emmeline and the Prewitt brothers came.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, grinning wildly. I laughed at her and grabbed her hand.

"We may not be able to get drunk," I yelled as Sirius cranked the music up a bit, "But we can still party!"

Then we danced the night away.

When the night gave way to dawn, I grinned and turned the music off. Most people looked like they were barely on their feet anyway, and I smiled. Cara staggered and I caught her.

"I'm supposed to be getting married today…" she slurred, exhausted. "What the hell did you do?"

I laughed and we led her away. "Don't worry, Ca. Don't you worry at all!" Then I reached inside my short (still pink) dress and pulled out a golden chain, which I enlarged and we all gathered around, all fifteen of us, and we wrapped it around our necks. I lifted the time turner (for that, of course, was what it was) and turned it back twelve hours.

After we arrived in the past, we could see us walking down the beach in the distance. We bid goodbye to each other and I grasped Cara's hand, disapparating us back to my house (where she was staying for the night, while Sirius, James, Peter and Remus stayed at hers). I put her to bed with a wry smile, before dropping into my own bed. Lily and Mary were already tucked up in the spare room, and I gratefully let sleep overtake me, even though I was fully dressed.

Thank God I remembered to set my alarm, was my last thought, as I knew Cara would kill me if I overslept.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter Seventy – Cara**

**The Second Wedding**

I woke up early in fit of excitement; I was getting married this afternoon.

I bounced out of bed, pulling open the curtains to reveal a beautiful pink and orange streaked sky with the slowly rising sun. I rushed to shower and dress in sweatpants and a vest top. I grinned, walking out of my room and down to the garden. I sat under the same tree as yesterday, wondering what to do about that terrible dress from the hen party. I couldn't believe Rose had done that to me.

I sat in the shade of the tree, daydreaming about later. We would be married here, in the garden. Further away from the house was a beautiful arched tunnel of lilacs, cherry blossoms, freesias and orchids (the same flowers in my bouquet). Either side were two rows of chairs, which were silver with lilac ribbons. We had only invited a few people; the marauders, Remus' family (who I was yet to meet), Dumbledore, Poppy, Marlene, Emmeline, Frank, Alice and the Prewitt brothers. I had meant it when I said it would be a small wedding. The rest of the Order had wanted to come but I only wanted those closest to me there. Dumbledore would walk me down the aisle and give me to Remus. I smiled at the thought; in a few short hours I would be Cara Marie Lupin.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere," Rose called out from behind me.

I grinned, standing up. "Same place as last time. What time is it?"

"Only eight, but Lily's here already and Mary should get here any second."

I grinned and headed to the house. Most of the morning was spent with Rose doing my hair, Lily doing my makeup and Mary painting my nails. By the time they let me put on my dress, I was sick of being made up like a doll. I had no idea what I looked like, but the second I put on my dress I was in heaven. The silky dress was soft and slipped through my fingers. It clung to me, the crystals glinting in the light. I put on my necklace, a heart shaped pair of sapphire earrings and my beautiful engagement ring. I slipped my feet into the satin heels, white, open-toe shoes with a small clustered crystal heart, and turned to face the girls. They were wearing the beautiful lilac dresses I had picked out with matching shoes. I grinned as they produced boxes.

"Something borrowed, something blue," Lily said, handing me a box. Inside was a beautiful hairclip. It was a silver clip with flowers engraved into it, at the centre of each one was a sapphire. "It was my mother's; I hope you like it." I grinned, slipping it on my wrist as Mary handed me a box.

"Something old," she said as I opened the box to reveal an antique bracelet. It was a plain silver band with the words, 'Love looks not with the eyes, but with the heart'. I smiled, careful to hold in the tears threatening to fall. "I found it in a second hand jeweller's, and it seemed so perfect."

"It is – they both are. Thank you," I said softly as Rose opened the last box for me.

"Something new." Inside was a scarlet garter. I laughed as she slipped it on.

"Right, I think I'm ready. Is it time to go?" I asked as Rose picked up Lizzie. She was wearing a lilac dress and looked incredibly sweet. Will was with Sirius, in a cute little suit. They would be ring bearers again. She nodded as I picked up my bouquet and turned to face the mirror for the first time. I looked beautiful; my face was flawless with very light natural makeup on. The dress clung to me in all the right places – it was perfect. My long hair was hanging in loose curls, thrown back over my shoulders. Rose came up behind me, using the clip to put the veil in place. It was a short net veil, ending mid-back.

"Perfect," she breathed, moving away. I smiled at myself one more time before pulling the veil over my face. Together, we left the room and head down to find Dumbledore.

"Cara, you look lovely my dear," the Professor said to me, taking my arm. I gripped him tightly as Rose walked out, carrying Lizzie and Lily and Mary followed. Once they had reached the altar, Dumbledore started walking and I followed his lead, suddenly terrified. We reached the altar and I looked up at Remus, and all my worries faded into nothingness as our eyes met. "Will you guard her?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

"With my life," Remus replied as Dumbledore placed my hand in his with a smile, before sweeping away.

"Welcome," the vicar started. "Today, we have gathered together to join two souls in eternal love. Remus John Lupin and Cara Marie White have written their own vows, which they will now read."

Remus smiled and began to speak, saying, "It is one thing to imagine, and one thing to feel. It is one thing to experience, and one thing to savour. This day is one thing; the rest of our life is another. Words can be beautiful, but it is actions that are meaningful. Memories can be relished, but new ones have to be made. The past is important, but it is to the future our lives lay. We speak volumes in all days, but this is our beloved wedding day. Before us are those who know us well beyond our name, so it is with all meaning and sincerity; before them, all I want and have to say, is I will love you."

I smiled tears forming as I began my vows. "Since we have been together, you have made me feel more complete, more alive, and have shown me the true meaning of happiness. I am a better person with you by my side. That's why today, in front of you, our friends, and our family I take you to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I promise to respect you as an equal and to recognize that your interest, desires and needs are as important as mine. I promise to laugh with you when times are good, and endure with you when they are bad. I can't wait to grow old together, getting to know the man you will become, and falling in love a little more every day.

"Today I give you my hand, my heart, and my love without condition, completely and forever."

He smiled at me, tears in both our eyes.

"Remus, do you take Cara, in sickness and in health; for better or for worse; for richer or for poorer; from this day on; until death do you part?" The vicar asked as Sirius brought Will forward, carrying the ring. He slipped it on my finger smiling at me.

"I do."

"Cara, do you take Remus, in sickness and in health; for better or for worse; for richer or for poorer; from this day; until death do you part?"

"I do," I said, taking the ring from Lizzie and slipping it on Remus' finger.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!" the vicar announced and Remus moved my veil back, kissing me softly. We kissed again, before turning to see the others. They all cheered and we began the walk back down the aisle, this time as Mr and Mrs Lupin.


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter Seventy-One – Rose**

**The Perfect After-Party**

I smiled as I followed my sister and her husband off to where we were holding the reception – again in our shared grounds, but a different part of it. We had hired a marquee and decorated it with the flowers from Cara's bouquet. Dinner was served, before the dancing and speeches, and we sat down together, eating and talking.

Remus couldn't stop staring at Cara, who couldn't stop sneaking glances at him. The two of them looked they couldn't believe their luck, and I smiled every time their eyes met, knowing that everything would be alright for now. Cara and Remus Lupin, I thought, smiling. I looked over at my husband, who was laughing with his brother – Sirius was best man, by the way – and he met my eyes, completely happy again.

It's funny how weddings do that to you, I mused, as the last of the plates were cleared and Remus stood up, clearing his throat.

"Hi, everyone," he greeted, and everyone turned their attention to the (blushing) groom. "First off, Cara and I would like to thank everyone for coming. I can't explain to you how much it means, seeing our family and friends gathered together to celebrate this day with us. Cara is the most amazing woman in the world and I'm lucky to have her, I know." He shot me a look, then said, "I thought I had better say that, or else Rose may castrate me." Everyone chuckled and he went on. "No, but in all seriousness, I know how lucky I am, so I would like to propose a toast: to the beautiful Cara Lupin!"

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered as Sirius stood up, smiling. "Hey guys. We got the boring bit over, don't worry, so now you can hear the truth about these two." Everyone laughed at Sirius, who shot Remus a sly grin – who looked like he was regretting his choice in best man.

"I'll always remember the day I met these two – two separate days, and two brilliant days. I remember meeting Remus on the Hogwarts Express. James and I had barrelled into his compartment and woken him up, since he had been fast enough. He fell of his chair, yelling something like, 'I didn't mean to eat the giant marshmallow!' and promptly fell asleep again, on the floor."

Everyone laughed some more, and looked at Remus who blushed and ducked his head. Cara, still laughing, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, glowing with happiness.

"Now, while our Remus was just a little eleven year old – and definitely not eating giant marshmallows – I met Cara for the first time when she was a beautiful seventeen year old woman. We met on platform nine and three quarters, and she saved her sister from eternal shame and embarrassment several times over. From the moment I met Cara, I knew she was a caring, funny, intelligent young woman, and from the moment she met Remus, we knew they belonged together.

"Remus has always been a shy young man, but Cara brings him out of his shell. Together, they make an incredibly perfect couple – in spite of the arguments they have had, which were, if I remember correctly, entitled 'dinnertime entertainment'. They aren't without their trials and tribulations – God, the amount of times Remus has had to stay by Cara's bedside in the hospital wing I can't count – but I know we can rely on the two of them to be together forever, simply because their love is stronger than I have ever seen.

"So, that being said, I would like you all to raise a glass and join me in a toast for the happy couple. Remus, my brother, and Cara, my sister, I honestly couldn't be happier than to see the two of you together. Congratulations; you deserve each other. To the happy couple!"

"To the happy couple!" everyone shouted, and Sirius sat down, grinning at the blushing happy couple.

With a small smile, I stood up and cleared my throat. After the cheers settled down, I greeted the small crowd. "Hey, everyone," I said. "You all know who I am and why we are here. My job is to say the sweet, sentimental stuff, but it seems like Sirius beat me to the punch there. It's not often that I have to be the funny one in our relationship."

Sirius barked a laugh and grinned up at me, as I swatted him on the back of his head in a sham of annoyance. "To be honest, I'm not that good at being funny, so I'm just going to say what I had prepared.

"I've never remembered a time without Cara. She's been by my side for my entire life; she is my twin, the other half of my soul, my best friend. I couldn't be happier for her, marrying the man she loves today. A year ago, we met Remus on platform nine and three quarters, and we haven't really looked back.

"The earliest memory I have of Cara is as three year-olds, playing together. She had this doll, and she called it Rosie, after me. I had a doll named Cara, just the same – we chose those names so that even at night, we would always be together. The first memory I have of Remus was on the platform, and teasing him about his nickname, Moony. To be honest, I remember quite well the exact shade of his blush – and I've seen it pretty regularly since."

I turned to smile at the two. "All joking aside, I was asked here today to talk about the two newlyweds and all I can say is that, whenever I see them together, I know they are perfect for each other. Cara, from day one, knew every secret Remus had and accepted them all. Remus, from the first time she ended up in hospital, stood by her bedside, waiting for her to wake up. He knew she had to make stupid choices, and let her make them and waited for her to wake up afterwards, ready to pick up the pieces. The two absolutely adore each other and are always there to support each other, even when they know they are being idiots."

I turned back to the crowd and raised my glass. "If you would be so kind, I'd ask you to join me in raising a glass. To the beautiful, kind girl who, today, married the man she loves; and to the intelligent, caring boy who, today, married the woman he loves. To Mr and Mrs Remus Lupin!"

"The Lupins!" everyone echoed, and we drank to them as I hugged them both and sat down. Before I could, however, Sirius nudged me to the piano that was set up ready for us, and took up his acoustic guitar, sitting next to me. I smiled and sat down, calling, "If everyone would like to stand, it is time for the bride and groom's first dance."

I played the first refrain and Sirius joined in, strumming with a small smile. We had practised this for ages, and his voice joined in with mine as we sang the first verse together.

"_I will never find another lover_

_Sweeter than you_

_Sweeter than you_

_And I will never find another lover_

_More precious than you_

_More precious than you_

_Girl you are.._

_Close to me you're like my mother,_

_Close to me you're like my father,_

_Close to me you're like my sister,_

_Close to me you're like my brother_

_And you are the only one my everything_

_And for you this song I sing...__"_

Cara and Remus took to the floor, swinging around and dancing together, arms wrapped tightly around each other and dancing slowly. They were a hair's breath away from each other and their eyes were locked, not moving away from each other's.

"_And all my life_

_I've prayed for someone like you_

_And I thank God that I, that I finally found you_

_All my life_

_I've prayed for someone like you_

_And I hope that you feel the same way too_

_Yes, I pray that you do love me too_

_I said you're all that I'm thinking of...baby_

_Said, I promise to never fall in love with a stranger_

_You're all I'm thinking of, I praise the Lord above_

_For sending me your love, I cherish every hug_

_I really love you."_

The two spun around slowly as everyone watched, but to them I knew they were the only ones in the room for them. They twirled under the stars, and I smiled at my brother and sister. They were perfect together and incredibly happy.

"_All my life_

_I've prayed for someone like you_

_And I thank God that I, that I finally found you_

_All my life I've prayed for someone like you_

_Yes, I pray that you do love me too_

_All my life I've prayed for someone like you_

_And I thank God that I, that I finally found you_

_All my life I've prayed for someone like you_

_Yes, I pray that you do love me too__."_

We brought the song to a close and rose to applaud the newlyweds, who smiled and laughed. Then Sirius and I moved away from the piano as the actual band took it up and I took Remus' hand, while Sirius took Cara's, to lead them into the second dance – supposed to be the mother and father, but Cara didn't have a father to dance with, so we had decided to do it this way, letting Remus dance with his mother in the third song.

I took the groom in my arms and he couldn't stop shooting looks over his shoulder, at his bride. I knew he thought he was the luckiest man in the world.

"Congratulations, Remus," I told him, and we danced.


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter Seventy Two – Cara**

**The Honeymoon**

The party was wonderful; we danced around for hours until it was time for us to go. The others waved us off, throwing confetti over us as we ran back through the archway we had walked through earlier to reach the portkey. With one last wave and shout of goodbye we touched the portkey and left.

We landed on a beach in the Caribbean. There was a small house but nothing else; it was beautiful. I reached up, kissing my husband, before running along the beach to the water's edge. Remus ran after me, pulling me around to kiss me again. The kiss deepened and, before we knew it, clothes were coming off. When Remus reached my garter he grinned widely, pulling it off with his teeth, planting kisses all over my naked body before finally making love to me.

Later that night, I lay my head letting it rest on Remus' chest as we lay, watching the stars. I looked at my husband (I still couldn't believe I was able to call him that), who was already staring at me. He kissed me, standing up and pulling me with him. We started towards the house, leaving our clothes behind. Just before we reached the house, Remus swept me up into his arms and carried me over the thresh hold. I laughed, kissing his neck as he brought me through to a room, covered in flower petals; he placed me gently on the flower strewn bed before climbing on top of me.

I woke late the next morning to Remus whispering dirty things in my ear. I turned to face him and kissed him passionately. He responded happily and things were just getting hot when I leapt out of bed running to the toilet. Remus followed me, holding my hair back. Damn morning sickness. I cleaned my teeth to get the taste away, before returning to the bedroom. When I got there Remus was gone; I looked around and found him making pancakes in the kitchen. I grinned, noticing that neither of us had put any clothes on yet and watched him moving around.

Once breakfast was over, we considered getting dressed but, since no one else was on the tiny island, we decided against. This problem sorted, I ran out across the sand into the sea. A few moments later, my gorgeous husband joined me and we made love right there in the water. We eventually moved to the beach, lying on the hot sand and doing it once again (hey, it was my honeymoon!).

The next two weeks passed in much the same way; we spent most of our time naked and on top of each other. We could hardly keep our hands off each other. We had spent so many hours making love out on the beach that we were always covered in sand. The only thing stopping it from being perfect was the morning sickness (it kept on interrupting our morning sex). The morning was one of the few times we were in the soft bed, opposed to the soft sands or the salty sea water, when we made love.

On our last night, I went out on to the beach, only to find Remus sat on a broom, fully clothed for the first time since we got here. I smiled, feeling under dressed in my bikini and walked over. "What are you up to? You hate flying," I called, before climbing on in front.

"Well, it's our last night here so I wanted to do something you'd never forget."

"Honey, I'm never going to forget any of this. I've had the best two weeks of my life. You didn't need to do this for me."

"Well I wanted to," he said simply, before setting off. We flew around the small island, before landing where a picnic lay. We ate, talking happily as the night started to slip away. Remus fed me chocolate strawberries, playing with the bikini straps. Once they were gone, I reached over and kissed him softly.

"Thank you," I breathed against his lips, deepening the kiss and removing his shirt. Within minutes we lay naked once more, me straddling him. We made love on the little island for the last time, falling asleep under the stars. The next morning we were both reluctant to leave to beautiful island, but eventually we put our clothes on and went back to the portkey and back to reality.


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter Seventy-Three – Rose**

**The First Defiance**

Near to the end of Remus and Cara's honeymoon, I was standing in the middle of the spell damage ward at St Mungo's when Mad-Eye's patronus (a tiger) arrived. Lily spun around to join me as it said, "Attack in Diagon Alley."

We exchanged glances as we reached for our wands and yelled to Selena Roan, "We've got to go!" She stood, staring strangely at the spot the patronus vanished on, as we apparated away instantly.

When we arrived in Diagon Alley, I grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her to the floor, narrowly missing two killing curses aimed at our heads. We crouched down, searching around as we scoped out the battle.

"Rose! Lily! Over here!" I heard Sirius yell from behind us and, grabbing Lily's hand, we darted across the alley and behind a broken down wall to where my husband crouched, firing spells out into the fight.

"Hey," I greeted him. "What's going on?"

He snorted. "The Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley. What else do you need to know?"

"Where is James?" Lily asked, her worried eyes raking the street as she shot out a spell, which hit the Death Eater she'd been aiming for between the eyes.

"Don't know," Sirius grunted. I glanced over at him, knowing he was more worried than he sounded, and he nodded at me, as if admitting that he was… I swallowed and looked back at Lily, who looked pale.

"And Mary and Peter? Their shop isn't one up here, is it? It hasn't been destroyed?" I asked, ducking down as a green spell shot at my head.

"No, they're alright," Sirius muttered. "I saw Mary fighting."

"I have to find James!" Lily yelled, and darted into the fray.

"NO! Lily, _no_," I called after her. I turned back to Sirius, exasperated, and he grinned.

"Shall we?" he asked. I sighed, but, together, we darted into the fray. Instantly, the world was a whir of spells and shouts, of bodies and lights, and I ducked a spell with a shout. "Back to back!"

Sirius pressed his back to mine and we moved together, whirling and stabbing with our wands. Within moments, we were surrounded by a circle of Death Eaters and, as outnumbered as we were, began to duel.

A few minutes later, as I hit a Death Eater with a spell in the chest – which turned him into a pike (it was one of my own inventions) – I heard a disturbance from next to us and glanced up, automatically countering the hexes cast at me. I was exhausted already by the sheer amount of people we had to fight…

Voldemort was walking down the street, firing out curses with a small smile. I winced, knowing that he would kill anyone who crossed him. So I watched with horror as he approached Lily and James…

"Sirius!" I yelled behind me. "We've got a problem!"

"You only just realised?" he roared back, hexing another Death Eater with a snarl. "What are we going to do about it?"

I thought for a moment, swinging out and hexing two Death Eaters. We were still surrounded by eight of them, but if we could… I turned in the opposite direction to James and Lily and cast a shield charm, before I grabbed Sirius; hand and darted the other way, hexing two of the four that stood in our way. Sirius got the other two and we began to fight our way to where our best friends stood, fighting Lord Voldemort.

As I watched, I knew he was toying with them. I knew he was because I'd seen him do it before with his own Death Eaters. I hexed another Death Eater and we moved forwards again, but then-

James fired a spell I hadn't heard of before and a red streak of blood appeared on Voldemort's face. My heart dropped as he roared his anger, raising his wand to kill them, and I darted forwards, trying desperately to reach them.

As we sprinted down the street, Lily raised her wand and cast a charm on him, causing his bones to turn to jelly. With a laugh, we joined them, grateful for Lily's ingenuity. The four of us raised our wands as he managed the counter and turned back to us.

Voldemort raised his wand as he spun back to us, grinning as he did so. "For a mudblood, you're pretty quick," he spat at Lily. "But you'll be dead all the sooner because of it, so I suppose speed isn't always on your side."

I growled. "You will not touch her," I spat at him, and he laughed.

"And are you going to stop me? Just like Cara stopped me from touching you, Rose? Are you going to take the curse for her?" he asked, mocking me.

"If I have to," I agreed evenly. "But you know it won't end well if I do, not for you at least."

He snarled. "_Love_. You truly believe that _love_ is the greatest magic? You are a fool, Rose White."

I raised my wand again, facing him. "My name is Rose Black," I told him steadily. "And, trust me, it _is_ the greatest magic – which is why someone like you will never be the greatest wizard alive."

Then he fired a spell straight for Sirius, who had to dive to the side to avoid it. I shot a spell straight back, and he ducked down, his pale face a blur at his speed. Lily screamed as he fired a killing curse at her, but James pushed her out of the way in time. I looked at James and together we raised our wands, yelling, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Together, our spell was more powerful than either of us could achieve alone, and the Dark Lord – surprised beyond belief – was disarmed. He yelled his anger out and darted backwards, speeding towards his wand. A young Death Eater picked it up and presented it to him and, together with the rest of his Death Eaters, he disapparated.

Then there was silence. Breathing heavily, we all spun around, checking that they were really gone, and then we grinned, hugging each other. "That was incredible, Lily, James," I told them. "You guys just attacked Lord Voldemort and lived."

They grinned and kissed each other fiercely. "We're alive," James muttered into her ear. She smiled and agreed that they were.

I moved away to check on Sirius, who had been dragged into another fight after he had dived away, but he wasn't critical – he had a few cuts, but it wasn't as serious as some others – so I moved on and began to heal those who were lying on the floor, near death.

I ducked down next to Mad-Eye Moody, who was sitting, holding a bandage to Gideon's chest. The two greeted me, Mad-Eye with a grunt and Gideon with a pained smile.

"You here to heal me, Rosie?" he asked. I smiled at him.

"Of course, Gid," I agreed. "Can't lose you, or Fabian would have to learn to finish his own sentences. Alastor, could you lift that for me?"

He did so and I grunted as the blood seeped out. I placed my wand between my teeth and placed my hands out. "Quick," I said around my wand, "Clean these."

Mad-Eye did so and I delved them into the wound, feeling for the edges of the break – if it was a curse wound (as it was) I couldn't regrow it, or heal it, with magic, so I needed to find the edges of the curse so I could slow the blood loss.

I closed my eyes and felt the edge of the curse so, with a grunt, I cast a charm, slowing the blood loss. Then I siphoned off the blood and summoned my healing kit from St Mungo's, ripping open the stitches with a small smile at Gideon.

"Okay, Gid," I said cheerfully. "Now we are going to delve into the –wonderful – world of muggle medicine. I'm going to cast a pain-relief charm on you, then stitch you up. Why? Because you've been cursed. I can't regrow it. I'll just have to let you heal on your own."

Gideon groaned, looking pale. "Muggle medicine? I'm not sure…"

"Shut up, Gid," I told him amiably. "Would you like to die of blood loss? No? Then shut up."

"You have a wonderful bedside manner," he said, straight faced, as I cast the pain-relief charm and began working on his gaping chest wound. It took several minutes – I was a very, _very_ quick sew (I may have used magic) – but then he was done and I stood up.

"There you are. Find Fabian and get yourselves to St Mungo's," I suggested. "You're going to need a blood-replenishing potion and someone fully trained to look you over." Then, with a nod at Moody, I moved on to my next patient.

I did that a lot over the next couple of hours; I fixed one then moved on to the next with nary a look back. But I couldn't fix them all… I lost my first ever patient that day.

Sirius found me kneeling by the side of Caradoc Dearborn's dead body, tears dripping down my face. "Rose," he said, putting an arm around me. He looked at the body, went pale and clenched his jaw, then looked down. "Oh."

"I… I couldn't do anything," I told him, my voice wavering and breaking. "I couldn't fix him, Sirius; I could only hold him as he died. He _died_. He's _dead_. I couldn't save him…"

Sirius seemed at a loss for words, but I heard someone next to us. It was Selena Roan, who had finally shown up to help with clean up. She sighed and reached down, pulling me to my feet. "Rose, look at me," she ordered and I tore my eyes away from his dead body.

"Good," she said as I met her eyes. "Rose, we can't save everyone," she told me sadly. "As hard as we try, as fast as we go, not everyone survives. If you provided him comfort in his last moments, and that was the best you could do, then you did well. He didn't die alone – he died knowing someone was there. That is the best you could have done for him; I doubt I could have healed his wounds, let alone a barely trained newbie."

I swallowed back my tears and nodded. "I… Okay," I whispered. "It's just…"

"I know," she said softly. "Why don't you go home? Get yourself cleaned up?"

I shook my head. "No," I told her. "I have to help." She sighed, but acquiesced, and I turned to my husband as she left. "Where are the others? Oh, you're injured – let me help you."

He smiled. "Everyone is over here. James has a bump on the head that I'm a bit worried about," he explained as he led me over. "Peter got knocked unconscious, but seems okay. Lily's still healing, and Mary has cut open her leg quite badly."

I nodded and said, "Sit down before you lose more blood." He sat and I evaluated my four friends with a look. Sirius was bleeding from the arm, not too heavily, as Mary was bleeding from the leg – also not too heavily. I knelt by Peter's side, taking his pulse – which was even and strong – and moved on to James' head.

"Hmm," I muttered, feeling it. He winced as I prodded it and I smirked at him. "Does that hurt?"

"Yes!" he snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"What's your name?"

"You know my name," he pointed out, honestly confused. I sighed.

"Humour me," I suggested. "I'm checking for concussion."

"What's that?" he asked, but when I glared at him he answered. "My name is James Potter."

"Who are you engaged to, Jamie?"

"Lily Evans. Look, what _is _concussion?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, apparently," I told him with a smile. I conjured an ice pack and handed it to him. "Keep that on it until I tell you to let it off."

Then I turned to Peter, murmuring, "Rennervate." Peter's eyes fluttered open, darting around worriedly.

"Mary?" he asked, his high voice clearly afraid for her. I smiled at him, reassuringly.

"She's here. Don't worry, Pete, you just stay lying down for a few more minutes." Then I moved over to Mary and touched her leg, listening to the wound. It was a special gift that I had been training for a few years, this 'listening' – it meant I could hear how a wound was caused, or what would react badly with it. I smiled at her, sterilising the wound.

"You are very lucky, Mary," I told her as I healed it. "You could have lost your leg."

She swallowed. "When the roof came down I just panicked…"

"I know," I told her soothingly. "Don't worry. Just relax."

I moved to my husband's side and crouched down, pulling his shirt off with a small smile. "Perks of the job," I said with a wink. "Getting to see handsome men shirtless." He grinned at me and I focused on the wound, wincing at it. Again, I cleaned the wound and frowned.

"Hmm," I mused, then decided on a new spell, one that didn't regrow skin tissue by magic, but stimulated the cells to regrow themselves. "_Incitare__augmentum_," I ordered. The skin shivered, then the wound began to heal over. I smiled.

"Hey," he said. "That tickles. What're you doing?"

"Re-growing your skin," I told him. "Well, stimulating the growth so you regrow your skin."

"Right," he said, staring at it. The moment the spell was done, he shook his arm out, staring at it curiously. "What now?"

"Well," I hesitated. "I want James and Peter to get checked out at St Mungo's, and I have to go back. They'll need me there. Would you pick up the twins?"

He smiled. "Sure. See you later, Rosie."

I smiled, stood up and made my way over to Selena, who sent me back to the hospital to work.


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter Seventy-Four – Cara**

**The Second Defiance**

We reached the garden in an instant and ran back to the house, hand in hand. When we got there, everyone was sat around the kitchen table. They all had grave looks on their faces; even the twins seemed quiet. I stared at Rose, waiting for her to tell me what was going on.

"Attack in Diagon Alley," she said, before motioning for me to leave the room with her. I followed her out of the room, hoping for something better than 'attack in Diagon Alley'. "We got a message from Mad-Eye telling us to get to Diagon alley. Voldemort and the Death Eaters attacked us. Everyone was there and we all got hurt, but Caradoc Dearborn died. I couldn't save him. I tried so hard, but there was nothing I could do; he died in my arms." She stopped, sobbing into me as I wrapped my arms around her.

"It's okay, Rosie, you can't save everyone. Sometimes they will die but that's just the way life works. People die every day and there's nothing we can do about it. I know it must have been hard on you, but you did nothing wrong, okay? Nobody could have saved him, Rosie, nobody," I said, rocking her back and forth. "Did you see him, honey?"

"Yes, Lily and James fought him. They saved us by defying him."

Her words snagged in my mind causing my eyes to roll back in my head before I lost myself. Blackness claimed me, before I opened my eyes to see Rose's tear stained face.

I had just made another goddamn prophecy.

I looked away from Rose and began pacing the hall, before asking, "What was it this time?"

"_Born to the Stag and Doe,_

_Who have defied him thrice,_

_The Chosen One;_

_As the tenth month dies,_

_The Dark Lord will mark him._

_Equals made enemies be,_

_One fights for light,_

_The other for dark_."

"Shit. So, what happened the other day was only the first of three. We have to tell the others; they need to be prepared," I said, walking back into the kitchen; the others gave us expectant looks as we sat down. I looked at them all, my friends, my family, before saying the words they deserved to hear.

"_Born to the stag and doe,_

_Who have defied him thrice,_

_The chosen one,_

_As the tenth month dies,_

_The Dark Lord will mark him,_

_Equals made enemies be,_

_On fights for light,_

_The other for dark._

"I made another prophecy just now. We think what happened last week was the first 'defiance' of the three. You guys are going to have to defy him twice more in some way or another."

"For fuck's sake, twice more? Once was hard enough," James said, trying (and failing) to break the tension filling the room.

"Well as long as he stays away on our wedding day I'm happy," Lily said eventually. "Speaking of which, how was the honeymoon, guys?"

"It was fantastic," I said, blushing as I remembered the honeymoon.

"Come on, we want to know more than that; what did you do all week?" Sirius asked, smirking as I turned a deeper shade of red.

"All sorts, Sirius. We went swimming, explored the island, we even had a broom ride one evening," Remus said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. The others laughed, as Sirius pouted.

A few days after our return, I came home from work, looking forward to a nice long bath and an early night, only to find the girls gathered around the table.

"Cara, about time, we've been waiting ages," Lily called. "What took you so long?"

"One of the Welsh Green's eggs hatched and I helped subdue the mother as we checked them over," I said, making a drink. "The mother wasn't too pleased and was hard to subdue when we checked them. She bit me and, as you can see, scorched some of my hair off, but the babies were okay and I could do with getting my hair cut anyway."

"Ca, do you ever have a boring day at work?" Lily asked, looking bemused.

"No. Anyway, what are you all doing here?"

"Dinner with the boys," Rose said, laughing.

"Shit, is that today?" I asked sitting down. Rose nodded. "Well there's no way in hell I'm going. I have scorched hair, burns all over me and I just want to go to bed."

"Well, the hair and the burn we can sort," Rose said, standing behind me. "I can cut your hair and Lily can deal with the burns. Now, what's your reasoning for not going?"

"I'm tired, pregnant and I have to be at work by five tomorrow to check the dragons are feeding well."

"We won't be out long, it's just dinner and you're coming – like it or not."

"Rosie, I really hate you sometimes. What about the twins? I can stay and watch them."

"They're coming too. Ca, give up you won't win this one," Rose said as my hair fell away. I stopped arguing and waited as she cut my hair. Lily tended to all my burns; I had rather a lot, so it took a while. After about half an hour, they finished and I felt a whole lot better.

I ran up to change out of my tattered jeans and top and into something more suitable. Ten minutes later, I looked into my mirror. I was dressed in a simple purple top with black trousers and purple heels on. My hair looked amazing; it was cut short framing my face in little feathers of hair. I grinned and went back to the others. The boys kept looking at my hair with puzzled expressions.

"Dragon," I said and grabbed my bag to go.

The meal was wonderful, but I was glad when it was over and we started to head back. We had eaten in a little muggle restaurant near to our house; it was a lovely restaurant that did some good food. We walked back to the house, enjoying the warmness of the late summer night. We had almost reached the house when they appeared.

The Death Eaters surrounded us and started to shoot spells at us. I ran to Rose and Sirius, who had Will and Lizzie in their arms, trying to protect them automatically. Remus, Mary, Lily, James and Peter followed me, also trying to protect the twins. I couldn't, _wouldn't,_ let anything happen them. We battled ferociously, protecting them.

I moved furiously, my hand seeming to act on its own as I sent spell after spell at the Death Eaters. I had no idea how long we spent battling it out, but after what seemed like hours we had defeated them. We made to move when he appeared.

"Rose, I will see my children right now. If you defy me, you shall die," Voldemort's high cold voice called from behind us. James grabbed Lily's hand and they moved in front of us, causing Voldemort to falter in surprise. This gave us the opportunity to push Rose and Sirius behind us and towards the house. We had almost got them to the gate and the point they would be safe when James and Lily started to fight him.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter Seventy-Five – Rose**

**Injuries, Old and New**

As we reached the safety of the house, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder as Cara and the others raced back down the road to reach James and Lily, who were now fighting in unison as Voldemort sent spells at them. I screamed as a red curse hit Lily and I turned to Sirius.

I could see the words of our prophecy in his mind – _the Healer_ – and he took Will from my arms. "Go and get her."

Mary and Peter hurried down the pathway and into the house. Mary took one of the babies and I think Peter took the other, but I sprinted away to where Cara and Remus had joined James, fighting him.

I had my wand out and sprinted forwards to reach my sister's fallen form. Bending over her fallen form, I used my last weapon.

"Tom!" I yelled. I could see him physically start as I cried his name, but he still managed to deflect the curses that were aimed at him. Leaving him to my friends, I leant down and reached for Lily's body, hoping desperately that she was still breathing.

I sighed in relief as I realised she was. I looked over at the others just in time to see Sirius join them – at the same time as James' curse met Voldemort's and everything exploded.

Shielding my head desperately, I waited until nothing more was falling on me to look up. I stood up jerkily, looking at my friends' fallen bodies – and my greatest enemy.

A figure in black ran from the shadows to reach its master, and I raised my wand.

For the second time in recent months, I found myself face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange. She snarled at me, then grasped her master's arm and disappeared in a swirl.

Swallowing, I sent out three patronuses – one for Peter and Mary, calling them out, one to Selena, calling for medical help, and one to Mad-Eye, calling for auror/Order of the Phoenix help.

Peter arrived at my side, snivelling. "What happened? Are they-?"

"Help me levitate them inside," I told him steadily, staring at my husband's fallen body – and then at my twin's. I swallowed, but waved my wand and lifted them onto stretchers, before charming them to move into the house. At the door, Mary stood, looking out in worry.

"Are they-?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." Then I took them through to the kitchen, using magic to practically throw the furniture against the wall, clearing space for the stretchers. Carefully, I lay them down one by one, James first, then Lily, then Remus, then Cara, and then, last of all, Sirius. I moved instinctively to James, taking his pulse. At least he had one…

Quickly, I darted down the line of prone figures, checking that they were alive. I checked their wounds with worry as Remus stirred.

"What the hell-?" he started but I hushed him.

"You, be quiet. And stay there. You got hit by the explosion that knocked the rest of you lot out."

"Why didn't it knock you out, out of interest?" asked a friend of James and Sirius' from their office – by the name of Gawain Robards. They were in the same influx of trainees.

"I was standing further away, checking on Lily. Are the healers here?" I didn't even look up at him.

"No," he muttered. "Oh, wait, yeah." Selena came in, trailed by Josh and another healer, Sam Hubert.

"What do we have?" she asked, rolling up her sleeves.

I stood. "James Potter, Remus Lupin, Cara Lupin and Sirius Black all injured by an explosion – caused by two colliding spells, I don't know what they were and won't until James wakes up – and Lily Evans, injured by an unknown curse," I explained, raking my hand through my hair. "I… I need to check on my children."

"Of course," she said quickly. "We'll meet you at the hospital – you and I both know you aren't allowed to treat them, but I take it you will want to be there."

I swallowed and spun away, following Mary though to the living room. She handed me Will and picked up Lizzie for herself. I glanced back as Selena placed transportation rings – kind of like portkeys – onto my family's fingers and disappeared in a blur of blue. I swallowed, walked outside, and together, the five of us disapparated to St Mungo's.

I hated waiting. I hated the constant movement of pacing back and forth, and knowing there was nothing I could do, nothing I could change. Mary and Peter had stayed with me – Mary was asleep on the chair and Peter was watching her with nervous eyes – and the twins were asleep in their carrycot next to him.

I paced in front of them. It was almost dawn – we had been here for hours – and there was still no news. For a couple of hours, out of desperation, I had run errands for the department and helped out, but they had sent me away; they said I was too tired to be useful.

So now I was pacing back and forth.

As I reached the end of the corridor, I heard a voice call my name quietly, from the shadows. I turned, automatically, and saw an unwelcome and not unsurprising sight.

I stepped into the shadows and stared at him for a long moment, before I asked, "What are you doing here, Snape?"

Severus Snape stared back at me, his face a picture of desperation. "Please," he whispered. "Please don't turn me in, or turn me away."

"What do you want?" I asked, more kindly; I could tell that the young man was truly anxious about something. "Severus?"

He cleared his throat and licked his lips, almost like a nervous tick, and said, "How- How is she…?"

I understood and blinked, surprised. It had been so long since the two of them had talked that I had assumed the both of them had moved on… But Severus was still in love with Lily. I knew Lily had never loved him like that, and she hadn't mentioned him since September last year. I swallowed.

"There hasn't been any news," I explained in a soft tone. "I… You probably shouldn't stay, but if you want, I'll send you a patronus when we know."

He swallowed. "I… I need to know-"

I nodded. "I understand, but there's nothing I can do, Severus."

Just then the door opened to their room and I turned away from the Death Eater and hurried down the hall to my friends. The healer – it was still Sam Hubert – looked at us with a small smile.

"They're doing well. Everyone is now awake," we all sighed in relief, "And, though we want to keep Lily in for a little while longer, the others are free to go whenever."

I glanced over my shoulder, knowing Severus could not hear us, and smiled at him, letting him know they were okay. Then I looked back and asked, "Why are you keeping Lily in?"

"She needs a couple more treatments, but after that, she should be fine to go home and be pampered for a couple of days," a voice said from behind him.

I smiled at Selena as she came out, and she smiled grimly back. "As for you, Mrs Black, I don't want you in training today. Take the day off with your kids."

I smiled again at her, this time gratefully. "Thanks, Healer Roan," I said, cheekily. She grimaced but nodded, hurrying off. I then said, "Can we see them?"

"They've been asking for you three – well five, if you include the babies."

"Thanks," I said, nodding hurriedly, then I spun away to go and talk to Severus. I knew they were looking at me weirdly, so I said, "Go on. I'll be right there."

With that, I hurried away.

"Well?" he demanded, anxiety written across his thin face. I took a good look at him as I answered, and realised that he didn't look well, not at all. He was thin, pale, and looked… ill.

"She's okay," I told him, and I saw his whole body shake with relief. "They're keeping her in for a couple more treatments, but after that she'll be released." I hesitated. "I know you want to see her… But-"

"Yeah," he interrupted. "Not a good idea, I get it. Anyway, thanks." He turned to go, but then looked back. "Why… Why did you do this for me?"

I looked at him for a long moment, before replying, "Severus Snape, do you know the power of love? Do you know – do you believe in – what it can do? I know you love that girl. If you believe in the power of love, then you can do anything in the world." Then I smiled, and said, "I need to go."

He nodded and disappeared into the shadows. I turned around and hurried into the ward, smiling at one of the sisters – nurses for you muggles – who I knew from training, and then took in the sight. Four of the injured five were standing, along with Peter, Mary and the twins (well, fine they weren't standing, but you know what I mean!), around Lily's bed. The girl in question was sitting up and grimacing at all the attention, before she spotted me.

"Rose!" she called, and everyone spun. I smiled at them, but before I could open my mouth, Sirius had practically run the length of the room, lifted me off my feet and pressed his mouth to mine.

We kissed for long enough that James felt it necessary to clear his throat loudly and we broke apart, smiling at each other.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, checking him over. "For a minute there…"

"I know," he said with a small smile. "I'm fine. Come on."

I moved over to the others with him, then broke apart and hugged Cara tightly. "You're okay?" She nodded, smiling, and I hugged Remus. Before I could repeat my question, he answered.

"Yes, I'm okay, as is everyone else. Don't be so worried, sister." I grimaced at first, but grinned in delight at the last – it was the first time he had called me sister!

Then I hugged the others and smiled some more as we talked. James was staying with Lily, but the others were all going home for some (well-deserved) rest. Sirius took my hand, picked up one of the carrycots as I picked up the other, and called "Goodbye!" to the others, before pulling me away and disapparating.

We put the twins to bed quickly and quietly, then he pulled me out of the room with a devilish smile. "So," he whispered as he pressed me against the wall outside. "Mrs Black, I feel the need to celebrate the fact that, despite the odds, I am alive."

I cocked my head with a cheeky smile. "You do, do you?" As he kissed down my neck I asked, "And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that? Would it start – perhaps – in the bedroom?"

He grinned. "You're a naughty girl, Rosie."

I went cold inside, suddenly, and broke away from him automatically. Damn, I thought bitterly. Why now? Why did he have to say that? I shivered and struggled for a moment, trying to forget my hang ups over that particular choice of words. I stared away from him, down the hall, as he asked, "Rose? What's wrong, love?"

"I…" I hesitated. "I'm sorry, Sirius, but the- You know what you said? The 'naughty girl' bit? Please… don't say that again. Ever."

"Oh," he said, realising. "Oh, Rosie, I'm sorry-"

"It's alright," I told him, sadly. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I just… I can't get past it."

"I know," he told me and hugged me gently. "I know, love. Come on, let's go to bed. We don't have to do anything," he added, when I looked at him worriedly, "But let me hold you, Rosie. Let me keep the nightmares away for one night."

I smiled and kissed him. "Sirius, you do keep my nightmares away. Knowing you're there… It makes me feel safe."

"It should do," he growled, then grinned and led me to the bedroom. "Hey, of course it should – I mean, who else gets to sleep with an awesome, hot wizard and an attack dog in one?"

I smiled. "Don't forget modest, Padfoot." I changed and washed up quickly, knowing he was watching me with worried eyes.

"Do you want me to sleep in Padfoot's form tonight?" he offered, but I shook my head.

"I'd rather have you hold me," I answered in a whisper. I smiled at that; after all we'd been through I was still embarrassed by wanting him and loving him. Would I never get used to this?

"Come to bed," he said softly. "I'll hold you for the rest of our lives, love. You know that." We climbed into bed together and he held me tightly, kissing the top of my head. "Oh, and Rose?"

"Yeah?" I asked, sleepily.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Sirius."


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter Seventy-Six – Cara**

**Healing**

After the attack I was sat on my bed, pulling on my boots ready for work, when Remus came in.

"Ca, what the hell? You're not going into work today."

"Moony, I have to. I'm not going to rest until I know Lil's alright. You know what I'm like; I need to keep busy. Go to sleep, I'll be back later, okay?"

"No. You have to rest; not just for you, but for the baby too."

He had me, but I could stay here restlessly all day. "Fine, how about this; I go check and see that they're feeding right, then talk to my boss and take the afternoon off." He made to argue so I continued quickly. "Look at it this way, the healers say I'm fine and I have to stop working next month anyway because it could be dangerous. You know how much this means to me, so just let me, please baby, just for now."

"Fine, but please be careful. I know what you're like, honey. I'll see you this evening, have fun."

I grinned at him, tied my boots up, grabbed my bag, kissed him quickly and rushed to the fire. I flooed to the reserve, checking the time as I brushed the soot off – I was early. I put my bag away and began to busy myself with work.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted, but felt a million times better than this morning. Remus wasn't at home when I got there so I hurried across the garden to see if he was with Sirius (which he was). I walked into the kitchen, where Rose was stood making dinner.

"Hey Rosie, you okay?" I asked, sitting down.

"I'm good. Remus is in the garden, playing with Sirius and the twins," she said; there was something in her voice and expression worrying me.

"I guessed that from the noise. Now, Rosie, tell me what's up."

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Rose, don't try that one on me. It helps to talk. Now, tell me before I start guessing."

"Okay, okay. It's just… Something Sirius said last night was something Tom used to say to me before he…" She trailed off, looking down as I stood up. I wrapped her in a tight hug.

"It's okay Rosie, he can't hurt you anymore. Never again, okay?" She nodded so I carried on. "Now, I know you're not going to like what I'm about to say, but I have to. We can't help you unless you help yourself. You have to talk about it; keeping it locked up to eat away at you doesn't help. Tell us, okay? We'll help you move on, but we need to understand to help. We'll still love you, no matter what you tell us. Just think about it, okay? You don't have to tell everyone, but tell someone. Please. I can't bear to see you hurting like this."

Rose stared at me, moving to the table slowly. I sat down with her and, after a minute or two, she began to talk. It took her a while to start talking, but eventually she did. She told me everything; from the moment they were married to the last time he had her. I sat and listened without interrupting, holding her hand as she spilled out to me her darkest secrets. When she finished, I held her in my arms, whispering into her hair that she was safe now; he was never going to hurt her again. After a few minutes of this, we broke apart; tears covered her face, but she looked brighter than before.

"Rosie, we can do this, okay? Talk to me if you're finding it hard; I can help. He won't hurt you anymore, not ever again. He can't touch you, you or the twins. They never have to know about any of this. I think you should tell Sirius; he deserves to know and, before you say it, he will understand. Now, let's go join in the fun outside."

Rose smiled at me. "Thank you. It really helped to talk about it."

I gave her a smile and together we went to join the boys outside. I watched Rose playing with her children and husband, realising that she could finally heal and move on from what he did to her.

The next day, Lily was released. Rose and I went over to keep her company and make sure James got some proper rest. We spent the day planning the wedding, to keep her mind off the injuries. She had been healed, but had a scar across her chest and had to spend the rest of the week resting. The scar couldn't be healed magically, so she would have to wait for it to heal naturally, but it should be gone by the time her wedding came upon us.

The next few weeks passed quickly. Voldemort didn't ambush us again and it was Lily's hen party today, which we were all looking forward to. The dress shopping had gone well and I loved the bridesmaid dress I would be wearing. Lily looked like a princess in hers.

I smiled and started to get ready. Things were looking up and we were all healing from the last year, finally (or in Rose's case the last few years). I smiled again, twirling around, feeling lighter and happier than I had in a while.


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter Seventy-Seven – Rose**

**The Third Defiance and the Third Wedding**

I smiled as I walked into Cara's room, seeing her twirl around in happiness. Again, we were having a hen party without alcohol (which was very difficult), but Lily didn't want anything too much – and, being that it was me and not Cara who was planning it, I had decided to respect her wishes.

"Come on, Ca," I said with a soft smile. "It's time to pick up the bride-to-be."

Cara turned to me, a smile on her face, then took my hand I apparated us away.

The hen party actually went well; as we couldn't get drunk due to Cara, we had a lovely night out, spending half of it in a salsa club. Cara had finally gotten around to teaching Lily to dance, and Mary and I had joined in. The four of us had a lot of fun, got very hot and sweaty, then hurried back to mine. There, we had non-alcoholic cocktails and sat down for a good chat.

"I can't believe I'm getting married tomorrow," Lily whispered, staring unseeingly out into our garden. "I'm excited, but scared."

"That's how I felt," I told her. "I was so happy; I knew it meant that Sirius and I would be together, properly, but I was frightened, too; I didn't know if I could do it. It meant commitment, true commitment to a relationship, when you don't know what the future will hold."

"Yeah," Lily said slowly. "That's exactly how I feel. I mean, I know we're foretold to have a child – and I don't really care about that – but I'm so scared that I'll lose him. I'm scared that I'll die and leave him. I don't want to hurt him, and I don't want to get hurt…"

"I nearly said no to Remus," Cara added. "I was terrified. I mean, after all we've been through, I knew that we weren't done…"

I smiled. "We'll be alright. We all work together, look after each other, and we'll be fine. Now, let's get the bride into bed!"

Grinning, I put Lily to bed, said goodnight to Cara and Mary (who were staying at Cara's), and hurried up to my bed. I had just changed and washed, and was just climbing into bed, when I heard Sirius and James outside, laughing boisterously. I hurried downstairs, not wanting them to wake Lily.

"Shh!" I hissed as I opened the door. The two of them were clearly too drunk to understand the complex mechanisms of opening a door.

"My beauty!" James cried, spinning into the room and lifting me up, waltzing me around the room. "You are so beautiful, Lils… I love you."

I choked back a laugh. "James, I'm not Lily."

"Oh," he said, pouting. "And if I want you to be?"

"I still can't be her," I told him. "Now, put me down."

He laughed and lifted me up even more, swinging me up into his arms properly. "You're very attractive, Rosie. I reckon Sirius wouldn't mind if I shared you, would he? Would you, mate?"

A little concerned at their state, I looked over to where my husband lay, now unconscious with a silly grin on his face. "Oh, dear," I sighed, under my breath. "James Potter, put me down this instant!" I ordered him, but he didn't listen.

"He's a little unconscious…" said the man holding me, who smiled very un-drunkenly. "He had a bit too much to drink, you see."

I stared at him, suddenly realising something. "James… you're meant to be at Remus'…"

He grinned, his eyes changing colour to their original red as he did so. "You worked it out, then?"

I screamed.

My voice echoed around the house as I struggled, trying to throw myself out of his arms. Upstairs, I heard Lily jump up with a thump and run down to us. With angry movements, Voldemort lifted his wand as James' appearance disappeared entirely, and bound me with a flick of his wand. Oh why, _why_ didn't I pick up my wand?

Lily jumped to the bottom stair, taking in the scene with wide eyes, before she lifted her wand and sent out several different spells. The first one was a patronus; I hoped being sent for help. The next was sent to wake Sirius up – which he did, but then rolled over and went back to sleep. By this time Voldemort had raised his wand. The witch locked eyes with the wizard, and they began to duel.

I thrashed, silenced by the ropes and a gag, desperate to help her. Lily threw up a shield with a flick of her wand, absorbing the strength of the spell that he threw back at her.

The shield collapsed, but she was unharmed. Then she threw a spell back, a line of golden fire, and he snarled as it tried to twirl around him. With a flick of his wand, the fire turned to black smoke, and formed into a serpent, which turned on Lily, opening its mouth to bite her. She slashed her wand and the smoke evaporated, before she cast a spell that let her beautiful doe jump out of her wand and charge at him, but not as a patronus; this was pure fire and I knew would kill him.

I stared at her, shocked by her ruthlessness, as Sirius woke and stood up; he realised what was going on with a sort of drunken horror. He stumbled to my side, trying desperately to free me with his wand, but kept missing.

I gasped in pain as he sliced my skin open, and he apologised as the door was blown open by James, running in and firing a spell at Voldemort's back. He was blown across the room, through the door into the kitchen, and there was a resounding crash. James and Lily stood, side by side, waiting for him to get up and face them, and I swallowed, knowing that he would not face them as they were expecting.

Sirius managed to release my mouth and I gasped out, "Behind you, Lily!"

The girl spun, raising her wand just in time, casting a blasting charm that knocked him through our front door. He stood, angrily, and looked at me.

"I'll be back for you soon. And as for you two…" he stared at Lily and James with hate in his eyes. "You will die for your defiance."

Then he was gone, and the room fell silent. I sat up slowly, struggling against the bonds, and Lily moved over to free me. I thanked her with a nod and stared around the room in absent horror.

"What the hell?" Cara blurted as she entered the room, with Remus, Mary and Peter following her. "What…?"

I turned and stared at Sirius for a long minute, trying to evaluate whether he was actually my husband or not. "What were the first words I ever said to Sirius Black?" I asked him softly. He looked confused for a moment, then replied, "We're no damsels."

I grinned, then hit him over the head. "Okay, you have definitely have too much to drink when you don't notice you're letting our worst enemy into our house."

He winced. "Sorry. I didn't…"

"I know," I told him with a sigh, and stood up. "Okay, everyone, get to bed! We have a wedding tomorrow!"

With a loud round of laughs, everyone returned to bed, and I cleaned up the mess with a wave of my wand.

The next morning, after we were all done dressing and readying, we moved into the master bedroom, where we had been readying Lily. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress. It was pure white, with long sleeves, decorated with lace. It had a square neckline, also decorated with lace, and a high waist, that let the skirt float to the floor. She looked beautiful. We all gasped as she turned to us, and smiled. She knew what was coming. This time, all three of us held boxes – it had become something of a ritual.

Cara stepped forwards first and opened the box for her, showing her the pure white garter we had bought for her. "Something new." Lily laughed, thanking her with a hug, and let Cara put it on for her.

Then Mary stepped forwards and clasped a bracelet around her wrist. "My grandmother gave me this for my wedding," she explained. It was a silver chain with little blue stones indented into it. "Something borrowed and something blue."

With tears in her eyes, Lily hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

Then I stepped forwards and hesitated. "Now you need something old, and I was at a loss for what to give you, until I found this." I opened the box and smiled as her eyes went wide. It was a silver chain, long enough that the pendant would lie over her heart. The pendant was an emerald, set into silver. The silver was decorated with lilies – which I found rather appropriate. She looked at me, wordlessly, and tears flowed over her eyes.

I smiled wider. "I found it in our vault at Gringotts. It had a piece of paper with it, which explained that this belonged to my great-great-great-grandmother, whose name was Lily White. It was made for her wedding. Look at the back."

She turned it round and read in a whisper, "_True love begins when nothing is looked for in return._"

"I thought it seemed fitting for you and James," I told her with a wry smile. She laughed and let me put it on her. "Are we ready?"

We laughed as we stepped back. The three of us were wearing green dresses, floor-length with sleeves (hello, it was Halloween. We were _freezing_). They were beautiful, but we would never look as lovely as the bride.

"Shall we?" she asked, smiling. I placed the veil over her face and smiled.

"Perfect." I stepped back and took her arm, apparating her away.

The ceremony was lovely. Lily walked down the aisle by herself, seeing as she had neither father nor brother, and was not particularly close to anyone else. I thought it was perfect for her; she was independent and adult, and didn't need to be given away. Instead, I spoke the traditional words, and James had replied,

"With my life."

The two had spoken the traditional vows, spoken by couples everywhere, but I doubted they had ever been meant so much. The two had survived facing Voldemort so many times now… they deserved their life together, and I knew the meant the words they spoke.

After dinner, James stood up and smiled. "If I could have your attention," he called, and everyone turned to look at him. "First off, I want to thank everyone for coming. It means a lot to Lily and me that you are here. Secondly, I want to say a few words about my wife – it feels good to say that!" Everyone laughed at James' happiness. "Lily is not only the most beautiful, intelligent, kind girl in the world, but is also the most lively. I know life with her will not be boring, and she'll always keep me on my toes, but that's one of the many reasons I love her. Anyway, to keep things short, join me in raising a toast to my beautiful wife: to Lily!"

Everyone echoed his words, and then he glanced at Sirius. "Let me hand over to my best man… but please, don't believe him. I'm a nice boy, really!"

Sirius grinned wickedly and stood, shaking his head at James. "I can't believe he thinks I'm going to be cruel to him. Especially after his speech at my wedding. No, I would never be mean. Now, as you all know, James is my best friend, and I know him very well. He has an amazing amount of good qualities. I can honestly say that, in all the years I've known him, no one has ever questioned James' intelligence. In fact, I've never heard people mention it."

People laughed and James grinned at his best mate. "Okay, okay, I'll be serious now… Of course, I always am Sirius." Lily groaned allowed and the rest of the room laughed at her reaction. "No, no, I mean it. So, Lily, James, you've finally gotten married, for better, for worse, which is quite appropriate as James couldn't have done better and Lily couldn't have done worse.

"Okay. I've done the jokey bit, now onto the story bit. I've known James for over seven years, now, and I am proud to call him my best friend. He's clever, kind, funny, and always up for a prank –as anyone who went to school with us will know. I have known Lily for exactly the same time, and I am so happy to know her; she is witty, intelligent, kind and amazing at putting up with James. To be honest, though, I never thought we would see the day. Lily spent six years hating James, and James spent six years mooning over her. So, Pete, I owe you ten galleons. Never bet against James, people," he warned. "You know he'll do it in the end." Everyone laughed at my husband and I smiled, amused.

"Before I finish," he went on, "I would like to give James some advice on what people thought were the ingredients to a long and happy marriage, so here are a few: firstly, set the ground rules and establish who is boss, then do everything Lily says." People laughed appreciatively. "Secondly, never be afraid that your wife will leave you – she's spent so much time training you, she's not going to throw that away lightly. And thirdly, never forget to say those three little words every day for the rest of your life – "You're right, dear!"

Everyone laughed again, and Sirius grinned at the two, who shook their heads at him. "Now, it gives me great pleasure to ask you all to raise your glasses for some very important people, without whom, today would not be the same, so would you please raise you glasses, and toast the bar staff!" As everyone laughed, he smiled. "Okay, fine, I meant to Lily and James!"

"To Lily and James!" we repeated and I stood up with a small sigh at my husband's antics.

"Hey, everyone," I greeted them. "First off, I want to apologise for my husband, he is clearly an idiot and yes, he did forget to take his medicine." Sirius protested half-heartedly, but Lily hugged him and kissed his cheek, laughing.

"Now you've been entertained, I get to do the soppy bit. Sorry if it bores anyone," I said, before turning to Lily and James. "Lily, James, I can't express how happy I am for the two of you today. Lily asked me to be her maid of honour because she blamed- I mean, of course, _thanked_ me for getting those two together. I don't necessarily agree; personally, I think it was James' thick-headedness and his refusal to take the answer 'no', even after it was given to him every day for six years."

People chuckled as I smiled and went on. "Now, I have the impossible task of explaining why these two are perfect for each other, and why they love each other. To try and do this, I'm going to start with a quote, one that Lily is actually wearing today. '_True love begins when nothing is looked for in return_.' I think that sums up James and Lily's love perfectly; James has loved Lily for the entire time he's known her, and never truly expected her to love him back. That's James' part in their love, but Lily's isn't so easy to sum up. Personally, I don't know why she loved him, he's a perfectly horrible monster- I'm joking, I'm joking.

"Lily loves James because he loves her, and is devoted to her, of course. I found another quote to try and explain, because, trust me, I'm not eloquent enough. '_To__love someone is madness, to be loved by someone is a gift, loving someone who loves you is a duty, but being loved by someone whom you love is life.'_ Lily and James love each other. James gave Lily that gift, and (eventually) she returned his love. Now, I suppose, they begin their life together.

"I told you I wasn't eloquent enough," I said with a smile. "But despite that, I think most of you get the gist. For those who don't – yes, I'm looking at you Sirius – I want to say that today, Lily and James begin a life together that I know they will be happy in, simply because their love for each other is deep and pure. It is what muggles would call 'true love' and, in my opinion, the muggles are right; Lily and James' love is perfect, more perfect than any other I've ever seen. So, if you would like to join me, I ask you to raise your glasses and toast the happy couple. James, Lily, let your life be as perfect as your love, for what is life without love? To James and Lily!"

"To James and Lily!" everyone cried, and Lily stood up, tears streaming down her face, to hug me.


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter Seventy-Eight – Cara**

**Dreams, a Baby and a Fight**

I paced the hall excitedly; I was about to have my three month check-up. We would find out if the baby's healthy and see her or him for the first time. We couldn't find out the sex yet, but I didn't want to; we had already decided not to find out. I didn't mind which I had, as long as they were healthy. Remus was standing against the wall, smiling at me. I knew that, despite the smiling, excited exterior, he was terrified. Last night, we had been talking about the baby when he asked me a question I couldn't answer.

"Is the baby going to be like me? I've never heard of a werewolf having a child. What if they turn out to be a werewolf or deformed or ill because of what I am?"

I had sat down on the bed, stroking my stomach, trying to think of a suitable answer. "I don't know." I said eventually, "But I do know that, no matter what, our baby will have two loving parents who will do anything for them. It doesn't matter to me if they are a werewolf or anything else, because this baby is ours. I love this baby because he or she is ours, not because of what they may or may not turn out to be. I don't care, okay? Our baby will be loved no matter what and that's what's important. Now go to sleep and stop worrying," I had said, lying down to sleep.

Here and now, I could see the same worries plaguing him. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Remember what I said last night," I said, wrapping my hands around his and kissing him.

"But Ca, what if-" He was cut off as one of the sisters called my name.

"Cara Lupin, right this way," she said, motioning for me to follow her. I grabbed Remus' hand and practically ran into the room, eager to see my baby. I lay down on the bed pulling my robe up to reveal the small bump.

"I'm Sister Jane, and I will be the one to see you during your pregnancy. I'm going to do a few tests now to check the baby's healthy, and then you'll be able to see the baby."

Jane smiled at us and began to wave her wand over me, doing all sorts of tests. I clung tightly to Remus, waiting for the moment she would tell us everything was fine and show us the baby. I waited while she carried on casting spells and writing on her clipboard. Every second I waited, I became more and more worried. What if he was right? What if the baby wasn't going to be okay?  
After what seemed like an eternity (but was actually a few minutes), she spoke again. "The baby's absolutely fine; would you like to see?"

"Yes, we would," Remus said, relief filling his face. I nodded in agreement as she waved her wand one final time, causing an image of the baby to appear above us. I smiled, tears falling. That was my baby, my beautiful little baby. I looked at Remus, who looked how I felt. Our eyes met and he breathed, "Our baby," before turning back to see the beautiful picture above us. After a few minutes Jane moved her wand and the image faded into nothingness.

"Right, you'll need to come back next month for a check and then again at six months. The baby is due on the 3rd May, any questions?"

"Yes; I work with dragons and I wanted to know when I will have to give up work," I replied, pulling my robe back down and standing up.

"Within the next month would probably be safest. If that's all then you're free to go. Have a lovely day." With that, she opened the door for us to leave. I walked out feeling light and happy. I started skipping down the hall in search of Rose and Lily (who had just returned from her honeymoon). I found them in the nursery, picking up the twins as it was lunch time. I told them all about it; Rose smiled and promised that, next time, she'd be there. I had wanted her there today but she couldn't get time off. We had a lovely lunch and, when it was over, the others went back to work and I went back to work to tell them I had to stop working as soon as possible.

They were understanding and told me I could stop work as soon as I needed to, and that I could come back whenever I wanted. I smiled and thanked them; I would miss them all so much. This was the only downside to being pregnant – that I had to give up the job I loved. No more dragons. I had wanted to work with them for as long as I could remember, and now I was giving it all up. My dream had always been to work in Romania, as the world's biggest dragon sanctuary was there. Never mind; my baby, my little Beth or Dan was worth giving up everything.

The next few weeks passed quietly. But then, being us, something would have to go and go wrong and that thing was Sirius' mother.

Walburga Black.

Sirius, Rose and I had been heading up to Mary's when she bumped into us and started telling Sirius what a disgrace he was and calling Rose names. She made my blood boil; I had warned her before about calling my sister names and now doing that in public, giving my niece and nephew dirty looks.

I had enough and snapped. "Rose, Sirius I think its best you take the twins down to Mary's, I'll join you in a bit," I said through gritted teeth, glaring at Walburga. They didn't hesitate, leaving me with her. For the second time in a matter of months we were duelling. I had my wand on her in a second.

"Expelliarmus," I yelled, jumping up to grab her wand as it flew through the air. She lunged at me, trying to reach her wand, but I just cast a spell that stopped her in her tracks. I waved my wand again turning her bones to jelly. "If you ever so much as look at them again, I'm going to do things you didn't know were possible," I spat at her tossing her wand to the ground and conjuring a flock of sharp beaked birds to fly at her. I turned on my heel with one last glare and walked away. I hated leaving anyone like that, but she deserved it; besides, someone would see her sooner or later and help her.

"Cara, oh my God. No one has ever stood up to my mother. What you just did was unbelievable," a voice said from behind me. I spun, wand drawn, to see Regulus.

"Oh, cheers. Would you do me a favour and check that she's alright? I feel bad leaving her like that, but I'm not going to fix it."

"Yeah, course. Where are you going, anyway?"

"Mary's, to meet the others; you should come too, but see to her first," I said nodding towards his mother.

"I will, see you in a bit."

Once I could see she was being seen to, I walked into the shop and called out to the others. They gave me incredulous looks, except Rose who just shook her head in exasperation. I grinned at her and jumped up to sit on the counter.


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter Seventy-Nine – Rose**

**Life and Family**

I groaned as my sister grinned. "You couldn't resist, could you?" I asked, a little annoyed. While everyone laughed, I sighed. "I suppose there goes my chance at getting friendly with the in-laws."

Sirius laughed his bark-like laughter that always made me smile. "Honey, I think your chance of getting on with my mother went out the window way back, at Regulus' birthday."

I pouted and the bell rang for the front door of the shop, as Cara said, "Oh, yeah, I kind of-"

"Invited me," Regulus finished as he stepped inside. "Hey guys, Sirius, Rosie."

I grinned as I jumped down from the counter, where I was sitting with Cara, and ran across the room to hug my little brother. "Reggie!"

He laughed as he caught me, hugging me tightly. "Rosie, put me down!" he ordered, laughing loudly. "Sirius will find out about us."

I grinned wickedly. "Oh, he wouldn't be surprised… but, as you wish, we'll keep our sordid affair a secret." I winked at him as I turned back to my husband.

I sighed when I realised he didn't find it funny, and I marched across the room to smack him on the arm. "For Merlin's sake, Sirius, where's your sense of humour?"

He snorted and shot a black look at his little brother, who looked a little uneasy and seemed to be considering running away. I glanced between the two of them and raked my hands through my hair in frustration – would they never get along?

"Black," I snapped, and they both looked at me, a little confused. "Yeah, both of you. Enough, already. It pisses me off and, for one day in our lives, I want my husband and my brother to get along."

Regulus' jaw dropped. "Your…?"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, blushing as he looked at me. "My brother. At least, I'd like to consider you one."

"I'd be honoured, Rose," he replied, then shot a look at his brother. He stepped forwards and held out his hands. "Truce? Or at least a cease-fire for now?"

Sirius hesitated, shot me a look, but shook his brother's hand. There was a silence, which James broke.

"Come on, let's get dinner. I'm-"

Seven voices filled in for him as the marauders spoke in unison. "Hungry!"

We laughed and went to get some food.

The next day, Sirius had the day off and he stayed home to look after the kids. It was – somehow – the first time he had looked after them alone, which I found hilarious – and a little scary.

"You know where everything is," I told him as I fussed around, already dressed in my healer's robes with my bag ready, but I was too worried to leave. "And you've done it all before. The bottles and food are in the fridge, second shelf-"

"Rose," he said, stopping me. "Stop being so worried. I'll be fine."

"Okay," I told him, and kissed him lightly. "You know where I am if you need me." Then I turned to the fire, threw in some floo powder, and left my husband and infant children alone.

When I got to work, the place was in uproar. There were no healers in sight, the welcome witch was surrounded by angry witches and wizards, and the second I stepped in, people swarmed around me.

"Healer, help me-"

"My son, his leg-"

"My mother, she's hurt her-"

"There's been an attack," someone explained into my ear. I recognised the voice with a little shock – what was James doing here?

"Another one? Where?" I asked him as I raised my hands for silence. He explained in a quick whisper.

"One of the mostly wizarding villages, Ottery St Catchpole. A large amount of people are injured."

I nodded and moved through. They all looked at me, and I glanced at James, then at the welcome witch, who looked near tears. I raised my hands and silence fell.

"Thank you for your patience," I called. "We are doing the best we can to heal all of your wounds and maladies. Please stay as calm and quiet as you can so that we may help everyone we can. Thank you."

Then I turned and disappeared into the hospital. I found Selena pretty quickly, and she gestured for me to go into one room at the end of the hall. "You're good with kids," she said, looking harassed. "Go and relieve Harriet. She hates them."

I nodded and disappeared into the room. Inside, Harriet – a lovely, middle-aged, chubby healer was sitting, smiling at a little red-headed kid as he sat on her lap, pulling her hair. She looked up at me and grinned in relief.

"Rose," she said, "You here to replace me?"

"You know I am," I replied and I took the kid – he was about two, maybe three – from her. She seemed exhausted, but she was still smiling.

"Thanks. His name is Percy, Percy Weasley," she said, pointed at the kid. "Do you know Molly and Arthur Weasley?"

I shook my head, but then remembered, "Oh, they're the ones with the five kids, aren't they? They live in…" I swallowed. "Were they injured in the attack?"

"No, but their eldest son took a curse. They're with him while we look after the young ones – along with everyone else's young ones."

I smiled and she left. The boy in my arms wrapped his arms around me and promptly fell asleep. I smiled and took him over to the side of the room, where a few cots and some beds were placed, almost strategically for St Mungo's, where everything was normally utterly random.

I placed the sleeping boy on a bed, next to two red-headed baby boys, who looked about the same age as my twins. Another young red-head came up to me, obviously related to the other two.

"Hello," he said with a big grin, which quickly faded into a serious expression. "I'm Charlie Weasley."

I smiled at the youngster. "Hi, Charlie. I'm Rose, Rose Black. Are these three related to you, then?"

He nodded. "That's Percy, and those are Fred and George."

"How old are you, Charlie?" I asked him, turning to the rest of the room. There were a couple of other kids in there, a couple of ten year-olds (or at least, that's how old they looked) and a sleeping five year-old who I knew from the hospital before. Her name was Nymphadora Tonks, and she had beautiful pink hair and a charming smile. She was also Sirius' eldest cousin's daughter. Andromeda had married a muggleborn, Ted Tonks, and been disowned.

"I'm going to be six soon, Miss," he replied with a toothy smile. I noticed he was missing one of his teeth, but that was normal for a kid his age.

"So nearly a grown-up then, hey?" I smiled at him as Nymphadora woke up. She looked around, looking lost, and I took Charlie's hand, leading him over to the other three kids, who were all now awake.

"Hi guys," I said quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping three. "I'm Rose Black, and you can all call me Rose. I'm going to look after you for now. Now, I know that you are Nymphadora Tonks," I said, turning to her with a smile, "And you are Charlie Weasley," I added, turning to the boy with another smile, "But what about you two?"

"I am Alice," said the first girl, a blonde with extraordinarily pale skin. "Alice Winston. This is my sister, Eliza."

I smiled at them, and the door swung open, bringing in two red-headed adults and another child. These, I assumed, were the Weasleys.

I stood up and smiled at them, as Charlie ran over to them to hug them. "Hi," I said to them as I strode over. "You must be the Weasleys."

The woman – Molly – nodded, and stroked her son's head. "I'm Molly and this is my husband, Arthur. This is our son, William-"

"I'm called Bill, Mum," he said, looking annoyed.

I grinned at the young man and asked, "Feeling better?"

He nodded, and I gestured to the side of the room where their other children slept. "Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley, Percy, Fred and George are asleep over there."

"Thank you," she said, and they took their leave of us. Arthur glanced over his shoulder and stared at me for a long moment, then said, "I will be seeing you the next time you see Dumbledore, Healer."

I felt shocked for a second, then nodded. So, the Weasleys were joining the Order? That was good; we needed recruits.

After a couple more hours, a young healer came in. I recognised her from the spell damage floor, but didn't know her name. She looked at the children and then beckoned me over.

"Healer Black?" she asked. I nodded, and she went on. "I'm Iris Blackwell. I have news for Alice and Eliza Winston. I'm afraid that their mother is dead. She died from her wounds and we couldn't save her."

I swallowed, but whispered. "I'll fetch them." Then I ran over and tapped the girls on the shoulder. "Eliza? Alice? Could you come with me, please?"

They nodded and stood, rising together and clutching each other's hands. I lead them over to Healer Blackwell, who said in soft tones, "I am very sorry, girls, but I am afraid that we were unable to save your mother."

If they had burst out sobbing, it would have been okay; this would have been an event unworthy of notice, or record, at least to me as these two girls were nothing and no one to me. But they did not cry, or sob, or scream. The two girls took in one, deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

Eliza, the younger sister, trembled. Alice, the older sister, nodded, and said, "May we see her before we leave, Healer?"

"Of course," Blackwell said, and lead them away, leaving me with Dora ('don't call me Nymphadora').


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter Eighty – Cara**

**The Final Wedding**

The months passed quickly and, before we knew it, December was upon us. Mary's wedding was merely days away; she had intended to have a wedding on Christmas day, but had ended up settling for December 16th instead. Tomorrow was her hen party and (again) I would not be drinking. I was five months pregnant now, and looked after the twins at home since I had stopped working. I missed the dragons, but my baby was more important than what I wanted, and I did enjoy spending time with the twins.

"Ca, you ready yet?" a voice called up the stairs, dragging me away from my thoughts.

"Nearly, honey," I yelled back, pulling on a jumper and running down to see Remus waiting at the fireplace. I had another check today and we would find out if it was a girl or boy. I grinned madly as we jumped in to the flames with shouts of St Mungo's.

The moment we arrived, Rose was upon us. I had said she could come this time and find out what the baby was. Secretly, I was hoping for a little girl, but I would be over the moon if it was a boy, just as long as it was healthy. We sat, waiting impatiently, until my name was finally called.

In the small room I began to get nervous, the same fears as before creeping back up on me. The worry was unnecessary as the baby was fine. We had been in there almost ten minutes before she finally asked the question we had been waiting for. "Do you want to find out the sex of the baby?"

"Yes," I answered as soon as she stopped. She smiled at me, looking at her clipboard. I looked at Remus and then at Rose; I was clutching at both of their hands, waiting for her to speak. After what seemed like an eternity she spoke again.

"You're having a baby girl." I screamed in excitement, clutching Remus. Tears filled my eyes as she then showed as the image of our baby girl.

"Bethany, our Bethany," I breathed to Remus as he just stared, as if he could never get enough of seeing her. I turned slightly to look at Rose, who was sat staring at the picture, smiling widely. Our eyes met and a thousand unspoken words went between us in that moment, until I turned back to look at my baby.

The following morning, I was sat in Mary's kitchen with Rose and Lily, waiting for Mary to finish getting ready when Beth started kicking. I squealed and grabbed one of Rose's and one of Lily's hands and placed them on my stomach. They both squealed as she kicked their hands. Mary came back in, finally ready and, seeing their hands, immediately placed her own on to feel Beth. Once they had all finished, we got ready to go; I had the day all planned out and was eager for it to be underway.

We started with an all day spa session. It was heavenly and after a day of pampering, we went out for a glorious meal before heading to the theatre. Mary had been adamant that she would not have a stripper or get drunk, so we had settled for watching a play instead. Once that had finished, we headed back home to put Mary to bed, since she wanted plenty of sleep before the big day. Lily and Rose headed back and I went up to bed, already tired out by the day we had had.

The next morning, I got washed and dressed into my beautiful bridesmaids dress; it was a knee length, with a sweet heart neckline and a simple ribbon tied in a bow just under the bust, in the most beautiful pale gold. I had matching shoes and a bouquet of white roses. Lily and Rose wore the same and looked gorgeous. Together we went to find Mary and get her ready. We did her hair and makeup, before producing the customary presents.

"Something old," I said, handing her a box containing a beautiful heart shaped locket. "Something new," I carried on, putting a pure white garter on her before stepping back.

"Something borrowed," Lily said, handing her a box containing a simple silver butterfly hair clip.

"Something blue," Rose said finally, standing forward and handing her a box with the most beautiful sapphire earrings. With this done, we headed down and I walked out into the garden, Rose and Lily following behind. We walked down the aisle that was, once again, in our garden. We reached the altar where Peter stood, with Remus just behind him, as Mary stared down the aisle on her father's arm. The ceremony was beautiful and, before long, they were saying the traditional vows and exchanging rings.

We headed back to the house to have the reception and before long it was time for the speeches. Once again, I was sat nervously waiting for my turn but first was Remus'.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank you all for attending this special day on behalf of the bridesmaids and myself. My name is Remus and I have the dubious honour of delivering this speech for you today. The brief that Peter gave me for this speech was 'use your head, keep it light, and dazzle them with your wit'. The trouble is, I'm not that funny, so the best I can do is try and dazzle you with my not so great wit. Let me start by saying that it's great to be involved on the happiest day of Peter's life, as he was involved in mine. That's right, he was there, stood by my side, when I successfully pranked my first Slytherin.

"Peter and Mary met just over eight years ago, but only got together about a year ago. What can I say? Peter's very slow to make his moves. From the first time they met, I knew Mary was the one for Pete and that they belonged together and, guess what – I was right. That's 10 galleons to me, hey James, and you too Sirius. It seems only yesterday they bet me Peter would never pluck up the courage to as her out and here they are married. A miracle in itself.

"Joking aside, Peter has been a great brother to me and we've had some excellent times together. I'm sure we'll have more in the future, and it's been an honour to be the best man today.

"You will be happy to know that we are coming to the end of the speech. I can tell that everybody is having a great time here today and this is mainly down to the weeks and months of planning by Mary and Peter. They have done an incredible job to make this such a special day.

"On behalf of the entire wedding party I would like to thank you all for coming to share in this wonderful occasion. So, it now gives me immense pleasure to invite you all to stand and raise your glasses in a toast: to love, laughter and a happily ever after. To Peter and Mary. Now, I do believe it is time for the maid of honour, my lovely wife, Cara, to say a few words to you all; I apologise now." With that, he sat down and I stood, ready to give my speech.

"Good afternoon everyone! For those of you that don't know me, I'm Cara and I'm a friend of Mary's. For those of you that do know me, please don't look so worried, Remus was only joking.

"I remember clearly the day I first met Mary; it was little over a year ago, at the welcoming feast. I had just started Hogwarts, after losing my parents, and I was still feeling shy and overwhelmed. Mary sat near me and we shared a bedroom. Before I knew it, the sweet, kind girl who I was unsure of at first was one of my best friends. I'm not really sure how we became such good friends; I just remember her following us one day and since then she's hung on like glue, which is best as it stops us losing her.

"It is an honour to know the person Mary has become, and to have stood beside her today as her bridesmaid and friend. Mary has a beautiful heart and mind and an innate sense of good and what is right. For as long as I've known her, the most important thing in her life has been her family and her friends – followed closely by her love for jewellery, chocolate frogs and art. She is a fantastic friend - loyal, patient, generous, and kind.

"Mary, you look stunning… and Peter… you look stunned! I'm sure you know that you are a very lucky man to have Mary as your wife. You both look just as happy together today as you did in those first few months of your relationship, when you were always together looking perfectly sweet. Now, on behalf of all three bridesmaids, I would like to say that Mary look beautiful today and that it truly has been a special day for us all, and to thank you for making us a part of such an important day in your lives.

"So here we are... Mary and Peter's wedding. They have made it… over a year together, and stronger every day. I know they have been through a lot together, but they have defied the odds. Today is a celebration of, not only where they are now, and the road ahead, but the road that has brought them here. They have built a beautiful life together. I think you will all like to join me in this wish: to Mary and Peter Pettigrew. May you live forever in love, and may love live forever in you.

"To Mary and Peter – and to a bright future."


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter Eighty-One – Rose**

**A Nightmare to Remember**

**Halloween 1981**

I woke to a soft brush of lips against my own and smiled sleepily. It was good to know that, even after the last three years, Sirius still found me as attractive as ever – attractive enough to wake up and want immediately. After I got half of my face burnt off last year in the St Mungo's Fire of 1980, I had been worried, but now I knew he was mine, no matter what my face looked like. Besides, they had reconstructed most of it magically – I was left with a few scars, but nothing major.

It had been a long time since Mary and Peter's wedding. The births of Bethany Rose Lupin and Harry James Potter had been joyous events for our little family (growing bigger every day, it seemed!). Mary was now six months pregnant, and I knew Cara was pregnant again too, although she hadn't really told me. I had given birth to another child, born just a few short months ago, on 11th June 1981, and I had named her Lily Mary Black. I had named her after my friends. I had been present for more births than I could count, and it was good to know that even in the hell we lived in, we were still moving on and living our lives.

It hadn't all been fun and games, though, in the past three years. More and more deaths – losing Fabian and Gideon had been hard – and now it had become obvious to the world that Voldemort was after Lily and James, who were living in hiding. On an even more personal note, I had lost Regulus – not only was he dead, but he had become a Death Eater first. When I found out, I had broken down and cried for an entire day. The next day, I had got up and never mentioned him again.

My little brother had betrayed me.

Then gone and died for his trouble.

I opened my eyes and smiled at the grey orbs that stared back at me. It was impossible not to smile when I saw my husband. I loved him still, so much, that it broke me apart inside. I sat up and kissed him again, then jumped out of bed with a regretful sigh, one that he echoed.

"Rose," he said, thoughtfully. I turned to him and raised an eyebrow in question. He carried on: "Do you remember the night after our wedding?"

I almost laughed in surprise. "Of course I do, Sirius," I answered him instead. He grinned.

"Good, I'm glad you do." Then he moved forwards, picked me up off my feet and pulled me into the shower, setting me down in the hot water as he worked off my pyjamas.

I laughed, but let him, revelling in being loved; for, before I knew it, this perfect life would be ripped away from me.

That evening, after dropping the children off at Cara's, Sirius and I made our way to James and Lily's little house in Godric's Hollow. We were looking forward to seeing our little godson again so soon; as it was Harry's parents' anniversary, we were there to take care of him. We were running late (what else was new?) since there had been a little trouble back at my sister's…

Sirius and Remus had had a fight.

It had been happening more and more lately. Sirius and Remus had begun to suspect each other (again) and we were all at our wits end. We knew that something was wrong; we knew that our little group wasn't as tight as we believed it had been, since Lily and James were in trouble. Sirius suspected Remus; Remus suspected Sirius. Cara and I just tried to stay out of our husbands' ways as much as possible.

The problem was, none of us knew what to do anymore. In my heart, I couldn't bear to suspect any of my friends, but what was I to do? It couldn't be Remus… and I knew it wasn't Sirius.

I sighed and took Sirius' arm as we apparated into the church ground, under a tree in the graveyard. Sirius smiled down at me and whispered, "Happy Halloween, my love."

I grinned back at him as I tucked myself into his side and let him lead me down the street, towards our friends' home. I leant my head against his shoulder, pulling the scarf up over my nose to protect myself from the cold (it was unseasonably cold for October), so much so that I could barely see. We were dressed up – we had thought it would be funny to come as Lily and James, so I was a red headed copy of my best friend, and Sirius had messy brown hair and glasses. We were laughing at each other, so much so that I couldn't see properly from under my scarf. So when Sirius stiffened and faltered in his step, pulling us both to a stop, I was momentarily confused.

"Sirius, what-?" I asked, but then I cut myself off as I realised what was wrong. In front of us, the house we had been aiming for lay in ruins at our feet. The wall on one side – the side that had been little Harry's bedroom – was broken, collapsed, and the whole house seemed to be smouldering slightly, as if it had been on fire then put out. What had been beautiful was now black; what had been a home was now a shell of destruction.

We stopped and stared at our friends' home, dread stirring in my heart. "Sirius," I whispered in a low voice. "Sirius – what if- What if someone's still alive-?"

It was barely a hope, barely a dream, but we grasped it wholeheartedly and it gave us the strength to move forwards. We dropped each other's hands and moved forwards – well, ran really – until we reached the wreckage of the door. Inside, I could just make out James' corpse, lying in the hallway.

I felt more than heard Sirius' scream; my husband launched himself away, into the hall, throwing himself over his foster-brother's body and screaming, shaking the corpse, begin James to wake up, to get up, to stop joking and just come back because this wasn't funny and Sirius couldn't get by without him, needed his best friend-

I stopped listening to my husband's hysterics as I moved past them, up the stairs, following the trail of destruction to my godson's bedroom.

I opened the door and heard a choked moan escape me. On the floor in front of the crib, the shell of a beautiful woman with a flame of red hair lay, broken and beaten on the floor. I moved forwards in a daze, kneeling beside her body and turning it over to stare into the beautiful green eye that I knew I would never see laugh and smile at me again. I held the girl's corpse in my arms and cradled it as one would a baby; not being able to find words to express my grief, I sang it out in one wailing, mourning breath.

Lily and James Potter were dead.

How could this have happened? They were protected! They were safe unless-

_Unless_.

The mourning wail that had erupted from me stopped as I choked on it in my anger. They had trusted the wrong person again.

_I am going to kill Peter Pettigrew, and this time, he won't escape_, I thought.

There was a noise at the door and I looked up, startled to see Hagrid in the door. There was something wrong with this image; why was the Hogwarts gamekeeper here?

"Hagrid, what-?" I started, but he was looking past me. I turned my head and stared, not at my godson's body as I had expected, but at the child's living, crying face.

"Harry," I breathed. I stood, placing Lily gently on the floor, and picked up the boy, cradling him in my arms. "Hush, baby," I crooned. "Hush, baby, baby, baby, hush."

The crying infant quieted and I looked at Hagrid, the tears still wet on both of our faces. Inside, anger and grief threatened to overwhelm me, but I refused to allow them purchase – sometimes, years of emotional training did you good.

"What happened here, Hagrid?" I asked him. Our friend's rough voice answered me softly.

"You-know-who came. Murdered the both of 'em, but couldn' kill our 'Arry," he explained. "Give 'im to me, Rose. Dumbledore sen' me."

I nodded and passed the child over. "Hagrid, I'm his godmother… it's down to us, Sirius and me, that is, to look after him…"

"Dumbledore wants 'im an' that's where 'e is goin'."

I nodded. "Take him, Hagrid. Keep him safe."

"No need," another voice told us from the doorway. I looked up and saw Sirius standing there, his grief raw on his face. "He's gone, Rose. Voldemort."

"Not forever," I told him, moving across the room. I couldn't bare another look at my friends' bodies. "We need to leave, to get the children, find Remus, Cara-"

"And find Peter," he finished, his voice steady and strong. "We need to finish this, once and for all."

I touched my husband's face, knowing that I would not be able to control him in his anger; he had lost his brother, his only family, tonight. He would kill the man who brought this about – that meant that Peter would die. He swept across the room, kissing Harry on the forehead, then looked at the half-giant with half-mad eyes. "Keep him safe. Take my bike; it's fast and will get you wherever you need to go. There's no use for it where I'm going."

We watched the gamekeeper and infant leave. Sirius looked at me and started to speak, but I stopped him. "I know, Sirius. I know what you have to do. Remember, I love you, and I'll be waiting at Remus and Cara's. We'll be waiting for you to come home."

He kissed me fiercely, then spun from the room in a swirl of black cloak.

That was the last time I saw him for a very long time.

I staggered as I landed my apparition badly in front of my sister's home. The door swung open and Remus stood there, staring at me in confusion.

"Rose?" he asked. "What are you doing here so early-?"

I staggered through the door and collapsed the minute I was inside. Remus, shocked and worried, called for Cara. My sister came out and hurried to my side.

"Rose, what's happened? Where is Sirius? Are you injured?"

My cracked lips opened and I managed, after several tried, to croak out seven words. "They're dead. Lily and James. They're dead."

Silence. Dead silence. Neither of them moved, not even to breathe and blink, as they realised what had happened. For a long, drawn out moment, neither seemed to understand, or be able to comprehend what this meant.

Remus stumbled back, breaking the silent stillness, and leant against the wall, breathing heavily. Cara swayed for a moment, looking blank, then whispered, "Harry?"

"He's okay," I managed to croak out. "Hagrid took him to Dumbledore."

"Sirius betrayed them," Remus whispered. "That bastard! _I'm going to murder him_!"

"Remus," I spoke softly, but he spun on me angrily. Before he could start screaming at me, I whispered, "We switched. At the last moment, to trick you all. Sirius and Peter switched. We though he was loyal and you were…"

There was another, heavier silence, which lasted until Remus took a deep breath. "Right. So Peter betrayed us, again. Where is Sirius, then?"

I looked at them both, suddenly paralysed by my fear. I managed to open my mouth and whisper, "He went after him," before I blacked out.

I was both aware and not aware over the next three days. I was aware of my children around me, my sister and her husband taking care of me, but I knew that I wouldn't wake up, not properly, until my husband returned. I blinked in and out of consciousness, contemplating the lazy blurriness that surrounded me. It was comforting, as it blocked out the darkness that I knew would devour me the moment I let it go.

"Rose," a voice said. This was a voice I could not ignore; it was the voice that meant news. I sat up with a jolt and met Alastor Moody's eyes.

"What's happened?"

For a moment, my friend's face was graver than ever, and I knew it was bad. But, until he spoke, I didn't realise how bad it could be. "Sirius is in Azkaban, Rose."

"On what charges?" I asked in my rusty voice.

Moody took a deep breath, but met my gaze steadily. "Being a Death Eater… And the murder of twelve muggles and two magical people – Peter Pettigrew and Mary Jane Pettigrew."

I didn't black out again. Instead I nodded, as if I had expected this – which, in way, I had. The grief hit me as I realised that I would never see my friends again, never meet Mary's baby…

"The baby?"

"Dead."

I bowed my head in pain. So many deaths… Then it hit me that I would never see Sirius again and I nearly lost my tenuous control, but I struggled and forced it down again, controlling myself and my world.

"Leave me," I whispered, my voice as ragged as I felt. Alastor looked at me for a long time then nodded and turned for the door.

He looked back and said, "Rose, I'm sorry."

The next thing I knew, Cara was sitting opposite me, holding little Lily out to me. I stared at her grey eyes, her black hair – she was the exact image of her father and I hated myself for hating her for it. But I took the child and held her close, taking care of her as my instincts told me to. I looked at my sister, at the child I held, and I knew what I had to do now.

"Get the others ready and start packing," I ordered my sister. "We're going to Romania."


End file.
